Warring Emotions
by Tia Veran
Summary: Zero had always hated vampires, until the pureblood prince Kaname Kuran changed his mind. Can the love that they share stand against the twisted vampire politics that would tear them apart? AU ZxK, KxZ. Please R&R my first story!
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer : I don't own Vampire Knight. _

Yagari surveyed the tiny ramshackle huts and tents that served as the dissident Hunter's town, feeling the flame of anger that still smouldered in his chest even after all these years ignite. It was a disgrace, that the once proud race were forced to live in such a run down shanty town, built in the shadow of the forest. Of course, there were hunters living in the mostly human settlement placed almost twenty miles away, but they were traitors, turncoats, and Yagari didn't even consider them hunters anymore. In order to live in the settlement, you had to agree to live by a treaty that had, of course, been written by the vampires who ruled over the region.

Yagari and his little group of barely one hundred hunters had split from the rest of their race after the treaty had allowed the pureblood vampire Shizuka to kill two of their members and transform their young son with no repercussions. That had been the last straw for the already worked up Yagari. He and all the supporters he could muster had kidnapped Zero before the vampires could recruit him as one of their own and fled the settlement.

With such small numbers, there was not much the guerrilla hunters could achieve. For ten years the group had grown, with hunters trickling in from the settlement after feeling that enough was enough, and they now numbered well over two hundred. It was not much and all they had been doing these past years was leading small raids into the vampire capital, stealing food and supplies, and if they got lucky, killing a bloodsucker or two in the process.

But what they didn't know was that Yagari had a weapon that could potentially destroy the vampire monarchy.

* * *

><p>"Zero! For God's sake, you're not still sleeping are you?" Master Yagari's voice came punching through the thick canvas that served as Zero's roof and walls.<p>

"I'm up, hang on," Zero called back groggily, running a hand through his mussed silver hair before pulling on his shirt.

He pushed the back the tent flap, squinting his lilac eyes against the harsh sunlight as he stood before the master hunter. There was an air of nervous excitement emanating from the older hunter, and now that he was a little more awake, Zero felt his own emotions echo that of his master.

Today was the day he would leave to try and infiltrate the vampire court under the guise of a vampire knight.

"Come on," Yagari said, stalking off and letting the younger hunter follow in his wake. The two walked through the mini town of roughly built wooden shacks and torn tents, toward the edge of the forest. The trees were a vibrant green, and the sunlight streaming through the covering branches painted Zero's pale hair a dappled green. Tied to one of the tree trunks was a strong white mare, already burdened with a few provisions.

"You should leave now Zero," Yagari said, "but you can't ride Lily right up to the capital, or the vampires will smell a rat. Horses aren't usually friendly towards bloodsuckers, so leave her at the settlement with a woman named Yuuki. She'll take care of her until you need her again."

Zero felt awkward at the 'bloodsuckers' comment, but was thankful that at least Yagari didn't consider him as one of them yet. If it was not for his Master's protection, Zero knew that he would have been cast out long ago. Just recently though, even Yagari's warning words and stern glare were not enough to stifle the dissenting comments of the other hunters, and Zero didn't really blame them. The charm on his neck had not been as effective recently, and Zero's bloodlust was becoming harder and harder to suppress. Yagari had told him that once he was among the vampires that he would need to find a blood source, a fact that disturbed Yagari less than Zero would have thought as it was a given that he would only be feeding from one of the filthy bloodsuckers, and not harming any real people. Zero had balked, saying that he had suppressed his hunger so far and would never drink from anyone. Yagari had stared hard at him, but said nothing.

Zero walked forward, reaching out to pet the horse and feeling the strong muscles in her neck, realising that those old sentiments would not hold true. The urge to feed was growing steadily stronger, turning from a horrible tight sensation in his chest to a hideous, burning pain that seemed to sink its claws into his entire body. Even his insanely strong control could not deal with that.

He desperately did not want to drink from someone. Unsurprisingly, he found the act repulsive and it deeply depressed him to know it was something he had to do. He shook the miserable and frustrating thoughts from his mind. He had a job to do, and only he could do it because of his mixed blood. Out of their entire splinter group of hunters only Zero would be able to pass as a vampire, only Zero had a chance to destroy the royal vampire Kaname Kuran.

The thoughts of being able to help the hunters and avenge his parents filled him with a new steely determination.

"Thank you for everything, master Touga," Zero said, "I'll do my best not to let you down."

Zero made to pull himself up onto the horse's saddle, but Yagari's hand on his shoulder stilled him.

"I'm sorry about this Zero," Yagari said gruffly, and punched Zero on the chin with all his strength.

* * *

><p>"Ahh!"<p>

"Shut up, Hanabusa! I can't believe you got me in trouble again," the red-haired vampire said, after cuffing his irritating cousin on the back of his head. He was usually relatively stoic about the many punishments he had to endure with his cousin, but just recently Aido had been taking the cake.

Because the blonde noble excelled at biology, Kaname had strategically placed him in charge of inspecting the ex-humans that entered the vampire capital of Nine-Orchids, in order to join either the pureblood's court or the army. However, Aido had been starting fights every few days, horrified that his pureblood master was allowing so many low bloods into his court. It had gotten both Aido, and his cousin, whose only crime was to try and break up the arguments, in a lot of trouble.

"It's not my fault!" the blonde said petulantly. "Lord Kaname is too good to be surrounded by such creatures! I can't just hold my tongue on this, it's horrible…"

"I know you can't hold your tongue, Hanabusa, on this matter or any, and that's the bloody problem. Kaname _wants _ex-humans in the court, and he wants it to seem natural. The Kurans have always strived for peace, and now that one of them is on the throne some things are going to change," Kain replied, exasperated with the blonde.

"But Lord Kaname isn't on the throne yet, and he might never get to be if he keeps doing weird things like this," Aido said miserably. "Lord Kaname is amazing, you know I think so. I just think he is moving way too fast with this whole ex-human thing."

"You didn't think so three days ago, when that pretty blonde signed up for the army. As I recall, you had no problem with her, did you?" Kain asked wryly.

Aido's cheeks coloured slightly, and he started to splutter an indignant answer before Kain held up a quieting hand. "Someone's coming, and it might not be a good idea to let them hear us bickering."

* * *

><p>Zero arrived at Nine-Orchids in the late evening, feeling like total crap. Yagari had really gone to town on him, and he felt like his entire body was one big bruise. Still, it had to be done. However, riding the twenty-something miles from the Hunter shanty had not been pleasant, and as silly as it seemed, he had felt a pang of sadness when he was forced to leave Lily behind.<p>

The thought of walking the next eight miles to the capital city Nine-Orchids was daunting, and when the sweet girl Yuuki had offered him the use of her guestroom that night, he had almost caved. But Yagari had told him that the more ragged he looked when he turned up for inspection the better.

It was Zero's first time in the city, and he found it a little overwhelming. He was exhausted, but still had enough energy left to be shocked at the amount of people all in the one place. Because they did not want the vampires knowing that Zero had hunter blood, he had always been left behind when Yagari led raids into the capital. Yagari had of course described it to Zero, but seeing it in the flesh was a totally different thing. There were so many torches lit, even in the streets, that the city glowed like a beacon. Having been raised by a group of people who tried to keep their location a secret, Zero was used to almost total darkness during the night, which was no problem for either his or the hunters strong nocturnal vision. Zero knew that the vampires living in Nine-Orchids did not require the bright light of the torches, but he also knew that although it was a vampire capital, Nine-Orchids also held a huge number of humans. Perhaps it was for their human servants, or perhaps it was just because the vampires liked the gaudy effect, but either way Zero found the whole thing a little unsettling.

After a lot of searching Zero finally came across the Army Recruitment Centre, feeling thoroughly dead on his feet by now. He could probably found the place sooner if he had asked for directions, but it was bad enough to have vampires all around him, and he couldn't bring himself to approach one of them. At least Yagari had taught him a charm to suppress his hunter sensitivity to vampire auras, which was probably the only reason he was not half insane with all the bloodsuckers around him.

He knocked on the thick oak door of the Recruitment Centre, and was almost immediately met with the appearance of a redheaded vampire. The other man stood back, wearing a look of shock as his eyes trailed Zero's bruised face, but he did not mention it, instead welcoming Zero in and leading him down a wide hall to another door.

"You will now be examined to determine that you are suitable to live in Nine-Orchids. We are trying to create a city of equality, and as I'm sure you are aware, ex-humans are more likely to become unstable or violent than most."

Zero had always been known for his extremely quick temper, and for wearing his emotions on his sleeves, which had been Yagari's biggest concern when training the teen for this mission. Because of this, Zero had spent a lot of time training himself to hide those emotions, and was now surprisingly good at it. This red haired vampire was now helping him put these new found skills to the test. Zero could feel his blood boil under his skin at this vampire bastard's casual use of the word 'equality'.

_If you have such an equal society, then why are there _no _hunters in Nine-Orchids? There are more humans in your great city than vampires, yet there is not a single human politician in your court. _

"Of course, I understand," Zero replied with a small smile, successfully stifling those heated thoughts. He walked into the next room to find another vampire, this one a young blonde with a slight flush high on his cheeks.

"Oh God, another 'D," the vampire sighed. "Well, come here."

Zero walked into the centre of the room, noting the shocked look on the blonde's face as his face came fully into light. The term 'D should not have been a surprise to him, but it still stung him slightly.

"What happened to you?" the vampire asked softly, indicating his injuries, the look of contempt he had a moment ago temporarily evaporated.

"I-," Zero began, before being cut short by the arrival of an aura strong enough to break through the suppressant charm. It was, without a doubt, the arrival of a pureblood.

_What the hell is a pureblood doing down here? _Zero's stomach clenched in fear. The admittedly irrational thought that he had been found out was darting through his mind, even though he had only been in the city for a few hours. He once again focused on keeping a calm expression.

The door Zero had just entered from swayed open again, admitting another vampire.

_So this is a pureblood… _Zero thought, looking the man up and down. _Monster… A monster in human form. _

But no, that wasn't right. This young man did not look remotely human. He was absolutely perfect, at least to look at, so perfect that it could not pass for human. He had beautiful ebony hair that glittered in the torchlight, with creamy, flawless skin and stunning garnet eyes. For some reason, his appearance provoked even more anger from the hunter.

_How dare such a vile creature look so deceptively perfect! I wonder how many innocents he has killed, just like that bitch that killed my mother and father! And yet nature has blessed this evil conniving beast with the angelic looks of his kind. It's wrong…_

"Hello Aido," the pureblood addressed the blonde, "Takuma says that it would be a good idea to draw up a census and… Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realise you were dealing with a recruit…" The pureblood glanced worriedly at the puffy black eye Zero was sporting, as well as the thick purple bruise that was painted across his jaw.

"What happened to you?" he said, echoing Aido, concern edging his voice.

Zero felt as if the world was dropping out beneath his feet. When he and Yagari had discussed this plan they had only suspected that they needed to fool one ordinary vampire with their story. Zero just had to hope that it would still stand under the scrutiny of a pureblood. The high blood vampires were excellent at the game of deception, as this bloodsucking freak's very convincing tone of concern proved. Zero knew better than to think that a pureblood would give a toss about the injuries of a low-blood like himself.

"I escaped from the exiled Hunter group, my Lord," the last word felt like acid as it slipped from his lips, but his entire life rested on him giving a convincing performance. "They captured me some few years ago, but I only escaped two days ago. I've been travelling ever since."

"Really?" the pureblood asked, his tone one of sympathy. "Did they do this to you?"

"Yes," Zero replied, pained. "They kidnapped me from the settlement after I was bitten four years ago, and put this charm on me to suppress my vampire instincts." Zero indicated the tattoo on his throat. "For a while it worked, and they treated me well, but then it became less effective. They started beating me, and that's when knew I had to escape or I would die." Zero took a deep breath before continuing, "They would chain me when my bloodlust was most apparent, but two days ago the chains they put on me had a loose link. I managed to break them, and after getting away I decided to come here because it's the only place I could think of that would accept a… someone like me."

Zero waited anxiously, praying that his lies would pass as truth. He had tried to make it sound as though he had been turned later than he really had, so the vampires would not associate jis turning with the death of his famous Hunter parents. No matter what, he had to hide his hunter blood.

"How strange…" the pureblood said, still fixing him with those scarlet eyes. Zero's heart was pumping so fast that he was sure it would pound it's way right out of his chest. "I've never heard of the dissident Hunters kidnapping a vampire. They have killed their fair share," the vampire said, a look of anger flitting across his face for no longer than a second. Zero, even through his icy fear, felt a flare of satisfaction at that, feeling it was time the vampires got a taste of their own medicine. "However, this is certainly something to look into."

It seemed that his story had been believed, and Zero's muscles relaxed slightly.

"You have probably suffered a fracture to your jaw, and any other number of bones. We need to get you healed up. I assume that you still haven't found a blood source from your story. I certainly can not imagine a hunter offering you their blood," the pureblood allowed a small, unhappy smile to grace his features. "Don't worry though, we have a system in use for such a crisis. Come, I will show you," this time the smile seemed a lot more genuine.

Zero was suddenly suspicious again; why would the pureblood take such interest in a level 'D? Zero could not see how this man could gain from such apparently caring actions. Surely he wouldn't think that just because he was an ex-human that he would buy garbage like that?

"But Lord Kaname!" Aido protested, "I haven't even given him his examination yet! And anyway, it's no job for a pureblood to be escorting someone like _that_ around! Let someone else deal with the 'D…"

The look that Kaname shot the noble was extremely frosty. "Do not use that term anywhere on these premises again Aido. And as for what a pureblood should or shouldn't do, do you dare tell me where my place is in my own stronghold?"

"N-no! Of course not, Lord Kaname!" the blonde exclaimed, mortified. "Please forgive me!"

"I might, but make sure to see me tomorrow, Aido, and bring your cousin too. He is supposed to be supervising you, after all," the pureblood said icily as Aido sketched a deep bow. "Now, I shall see that his young man is given blood and somewhere to stay. He came to us seeking help, and I am not at all pleased with how you would have him treated."

Kaname placed his hand on Zero's shoulder, an action that both confused and angered the ex-human. He followed Kaname as he left the Recruitment Centre, reflecting that the pureblood was _nothing_ like he had imagined.

* * *

><p>"What's going on?" Kain asked, entering the room. "Kaname just went by with that ex-human."<p>

"Oh, that," Aido said uncomfortably, "well, he's just getting the 'D - I mean the ex-human a blood source."

"Aido?" Kain said, a hint of suspicion creeping into his mind at his cousin's hasty self correction, "did you get in trouble again? Or should I ask, did you get _me_ in trouble again?"

Aido's guilty face was enough to tell him that he had guessed correctly.

"Aido!"

* * *

><p><em>Thanks for reading! I'm sorry if there wasn't much going on, but I'll try and make the next chapter more exciting. <em>

_This is my first story, so I would really appreciate any constructive criticism! Please review. =) _


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight. =P_

_VVVVVVVV_

Zero followed behind the pureblood, hunter senses throbbing even through his charm. The cobbled streets and tall, beautifully constructed buildings that would have been awe inspiring at any other time passed by in a blur. His injuries were screaming for his attention, causing his filthy bloodlust to rise sickeningly, obscuring most of his thoughts. He could not help but stare hungrily at the smooth, pale skin of the other man's neck, and imagine sinking his fangs deeply into the delicious flesh, sampling the pure blood beneath. He pushed the tempting thoughts from his mind, reminding himself of how disgusting the act was, and if he had to perform it, it would certainly not be with a _pureblood_. Zero's anger had always been his greatest weakness, but also his greatest strength. He seized hold of the anger, using it as fuel to suppress the animal instincts.

Kaname noticed the scarlet flickering in the ex-human's eyes as his neck was gazed at longingly, but he was not unduly worried. This young man obviously had a strong will, and Kaname could always control him with the slightest flick of his own will if he tried something.

The young man was very interesting, both in looks and personality. Kaname had never seen anyone with the young ex-human's colouring before, the pale skin that was in fact slightly tanned in vampire terms, the exotic silvery lavender eyes and the snowy mop of hair. The bruises and the obvious mental control that he was displaying painted a very attractive picture of inner strength and determination.

After the horrible treatment that he had obviously received at the hunter camp, Kaname was happy to finally be leading him to some of his own people. From the way he had hesitated to admit that he was an ex-human, Kaname had correctly guessed that Zero was ashamed of the fact, even if he was wrong about _why _it irked the boy.

It should make him feel a little more confidant to see how ex-humans were treated in Nine-Orchids, Kaname thought. It would be a lie to claim that the low blood vampires were treated as well as the high bloods, but Kaname was still happy with the changes he was making. If this were any other vampire city, the 'level 'D's' would be passed around the nobles and aristocrats as though they were nothing more than trinkets or toys, and would be used in horrible ways. Kuran was a very strong name in the vampire world, and Kaname hoped that the rest of the vampire rulers would follow in his footsteps. So far that hope had not come to fruition, but Kaname was not one to back down easily.

Zero noticed even through the haze of bloodlust that the buildings were becoming a lot less grand. The high flame lit torches were becoming more and more far apart. Eventually the pureblood came to a halt in an area that was by no means a slum, but lacked the grandeur and lavish facades of the streets that they had just left.

The large square construct of the building Kaname was leading him to had the look of a block of flats.

"This is where I will leave you, I'm afraid. It would cause too much of a stir for a pureblood to enter, but the people here will see that you are treated well," Kaname said. "Well, perhaps I will see you later."

The pureblood give him a smile, and Zero's fatigue and bloodlust fogged mind finally kicked him into responding.

"Thank you so much, Lord Kaname," he replied, dropping into a respectful bow.

The pureblood looked a little uncomfortable before speaking. "Please be careful… I'm sorry, but I don't think I caught your name."

"Zero Matsuda, my lord," he gave the identity that Yagari had given him.

"Well, Zero," the pureblood said, "although we strive for peace here, I'm sorry to say that there are still plenty of bigots around. And the interference of those damn renegade hunters has not been helping things… Anyway, I guess I'm just telling you to be careful."

The pureblood turned and headed back to the more elegant part of the city. Zero walked up to the building Kaname had indicated and knocked loudly. He was shortly answered by an attractive woman with long chestnut curls who was definitely a born vampire, although Zero could tell she was of quite low blood. Despite her young looks, Zero's hunter senses told him she was very old, at least three centuries.

"Oh God, are you okay? Come on in darlin' and I'll get you sorted out," she stepped back, ushering him in.

The inside of the building was warm and cosy, if a little small, with a sputtering log fire burning at the far end and comfortable homely furniture placed here and there. It looked like the lobby of one of the B&B's at the settlement.

"I take it that you're new here? Well not to worry, Hitomi is new here too and she doesn't have a blood source either," the brunette said. "Hitomi, come here."

There was a stirring from one of the armchairs in front of the fire, and then a young woman with short white blonde hair stood up, stretching. She walked over, hiding a yawn behind one hand. She could not have been over five two, and the top of her head barely met Zero's shoulder when she came to a stop next to him. Zero could not help noticing that she was extremely pretty, with her choppy, layered hair, heart shaped face and big sapphire eyes.

"Hitomi, this young man is new, and just like you he needs a blood source. As you can see he needs blood pretty soon, so what do you say that you two pair up? By the time I've filled out the forms to find him a random partner the poor pet would probably be half out of his mind," the older vampire said.

Hitomi glanced at him, treating him to a dazzling smile.

"Sure, but before you sink your fangs into my flesh, how about you give me your name?"

Zero nodded, feeling his fangs extend at her words. His earlier disdain of the act had gone, at least for this moment when he was faced with such strong bloodlust and a beautiful woman to sate it. "I'm Zero," he said, words somewhat slurred through his aroused fangs.

"Hitomi Honda," she replied, extending a slender hand. Zero shook it, eliciting a small giggle from the brunette woman.

"Silly! She's offering you her wrist! We don't allow people to drink from each others necks here unless they're a couple, it is a very intimate act to have to fulfil with a stranger after all," the older woman said. "Since you're quite needy for it, I will supervise to make sure your need does not overcome your control."

Zero nodded, feeling nervous but much too hungry to do anything but take the slender wrist being offered to him and raising it to his lips shakily. He leaned his head down, breaking the pale skin of the girl's forearm with both fangs. It reminded him sharply of sinking his teeth into a ripe apple. Then the heavenly taste of her blood filled his mouth and he thought he might go insane. He drew it in in a long swallow, allowing the blood to once again seep from the puncture wounds and fill his mouth. Each sip was divine, and Zero lost himself in the act. He drew another few long, blissful sips of the sweet nectar before feeling a pair of hands on his shoulders.

"Come on now, that's enough." The voice sounded far away, and Zero almost ignored both it and the small hands gripping his shoulder. A second later he realised what he was doing and withdrew his fangs hastily. He saw the bloody mess of Hitomi's wrist and felt dual sensations of lust and horror.

"Wow, thanks for being gentle," Hitomi said, but her voice was warm and held no anger.

"I-I'm so sorry, that was my first time…" Zero mumbled, feeling his face go red at how the words sounded.

"I guessed as much," the blonde said, "and don't worry about it, I was turned by Shizuka, and bitten by her many times. By comparison you were very gentle." The smile she gave him this time held more sadness than warmth. Zero felt a huge surge of affection for the girl. Who would have thought his stunning young woman's life had been destroyed as badly as his, and by the very same bitch too.

The brunette woman removed her hands from his shoulder and turned him so he was facing her. "You've got blood all over your face pet," she said, wiping at him with her sleeve in a maternal way. Zero's already warm face blazed.

Hitomi seemed relieved from the distraction and giggled, embarrassing Zero so much he wished he could disappear. "Kyoko! Stop mothering all the recruits!" the ex-human admonished. "Anyway Zero, you signed up for the army, right? Well, so did I! Perhaps we can go to the barracks together tomorrow?"

Zero blinked at her. "_You're_ in the army?"

Hitomi pouted. "What, you think only men can fight? I'm a _lot_ stronger than I look."

"She's right, pet," Kyoko added, "I wouldn't get on her bad side if I were you. Anyway, enough chatting. You both need to get to bed."

"But it's not even morning yet!" Hitomi complained.

"Well alright then, but this young man has been travelling all day, and I'm not going to relax until he gets a rest." She turned to a shelf on the wall and removed a set of keys before tossing them to Zero. "Take room just up those stairs, second door on the right."

Zero thanked both women, before forcing his leaden legs to carry him to his room. The corridor was lined with rooms, six on each side, and he could also see a second staircase at the end of the hall. He let himself into the room Kyoko had directed him to and sank onto the checked bedspread. It was a small but well kept room, and the single bed was very soft.

As he stood once more and began pulling off his clothes he could not help but reflect on the girl Hitomi. It still seemed surreal that he had drank from someone, but the matter-of-fact attitude of the two women had really helped him relax about it. But that wasn't all he was thinking about. Hitomi herself was a pretty amazing person, and Zero found himself empathising with her background.

He slid back onto the bed, but under the covers this time. He was extremely grateful for the warm bed and the warm blood. His wounds were tingling a little and already healing. He was half asleep before realising that the two women he was so grateful to were vampires.

VVVVVVVVV

Kaname ran a hand through his silky hair as he headed to his tacticians quarters. The whole situation with the young man Zero disturbed him. He had never heard of the dissident hunters going so far as to kidnap a vampire and the news was worrying. He realised now that he had forgotten to ask the young ex-human if there were any other captives in the camp he was kept in. He would have to find him tomorrow and question him more thoroughly after the boy had gotten a good rest.

Before he knew it his feet had carried him to Takuma's door, which was open a crack. Out of all the people in his court, Takuma was the only person that Kaname felt he could really trust. The two of them had been raised almost as brothers, and so Kaname simply reached out to push the door open. The sound of _two_ voices coming from the room stilled his hand. Takuma already had company.

Kaname smiled to himself, realising he would have to remain alone with his thoughts for a little longer. He had been pretty certain that the other voice had belonged to Shiki Senri, his friend's lover. Homosexuality was highly condemned in vampire society. Their numbers were low compared to the amount of hunters and humans and so procreation was strongly endorsed.

The sexuality of his adviser was of no concern to Kaname, but he knew that if his friend was caught he would be exiled from the vampire community. As quietly as he could Kaname closed the door tight, before heading to his own room.

He remembered the look of horror on Takuma's face when Kaname had told him to be a little more subtle about his feelings for the other man. Takuma had been understandably frightened until Kaname assured him that he was the only one who had figured things out so far. But he had went on to warn his friend that if he did not act more indifferent around Shiki it would not be long until everybody was aware of their relationship. Takuma could not believe how amazingly understanding that Kaname was being about something that would have been the end of him had his best friend been any other pureblood. The experience had only served to strengthen the friendship between the pureblood and his adviser and tactician.

What the pureblood had not told Takuma was that if he had of objected it would have been a huge act of hypocrisy on his part. Kaname Kuran, pureblood prince of vampires, soon to be crowned _king_ of vampires, was gay. It was something that he knew must be kept hidden. The other Lords already felt uncomfortable about the young prince's attempts to create a better life for low blood vampires and humans. If he tried to change the opinion of such old and traditional members of the court on the matter of his sexuality he could well find himself assassinated long before he received the crown.

Tomorrow, when Takuma would hopefully be less occupied, he would need to have a long discussion with him about the Hunter splinter group's continuously growing audacity. Kaname had never been interested in trying to make peace with the hunters. They were too stubborn and had killed too many innocents of his court. He was starting to realise that he might have to simply send the Kuran army to hunt them down and squash them.

VVVVVVVVVVVV

Zero was pleasantly surprised the next morning when he discovered that all the injuries that Yagari had given him had been healed, even the particularly painful one on his jaw. He pulled on his old, sweaty smelling clothes with disdain. He was going to have to get a new outfit. He pushed open the bedroom door and made his way downstairs, noting the loud grumble of his stomach and realising that he was ravenous.

When he reached the lobby he found Kyoko curled up on one of the armchairs, flicking through a book she had held aloft with one hand. Zero decided to leave her to enjoying her book and stepped outside. The sky was pitch black, softened only by the nearby street lamp. It seemed that he had been asleep for a long time.

He realised, standing there outside his new home, that he had absolutely no idea where to go. He was pondering this problem when the answer came tumbling out of the door behind him.

"Hey Zero," Hitomi's said, "thanks for waiting for me."

Zero had actually forgotten about her offer to walk with him to the barracks, but decided not to mention this. "Oh, yeah, that's okay. It's a good thing you're here actually, I-" Zero paused as his stomach rumbled loudly.

"Don't know where to go?" she finished for him with a smile. "It sounds like you're hungry, so lets wait until second call."

"Second call?" Zero asked.

"Yeah, they'll just be sorting us into groups today, and there are plenty of people up for assessment so there are three different calls to give everyone a chance. Anyway, maybe we should go somewhere nice for breakfast and get to know each other. I mean, we're going to be sharing blood so it might be nice to know more about each other than just names."

Zero blushed furiously. "Sure, that sounds great but I don't have any money…"

"Oh don't worry about it. I'll pay today and you can pay next time," she said, blowing her long fringe of blonde hair out of her face. "Come on."

Zero followed the pretty young woman, feeling very uncomfortable. Growing up in the dissident hunter group he had not had much of a chance to mingle with people his own age, male or female. Hitomi was also an ex-human, which was refreshing to him. He only hoped that he wouldn't do something to make her think he was an idiot.

She lead him to a nice, if slightly girly coffee shop, and they took seats facing each other.

"It's nice in here, you should try their waffles," Hitomi said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen.

When the waitress came over Zero was a little miffed to see she was another vampire. There were supposed to be plenty of humans in this city, but so far he hadn't seen any. He took Hitomi's advise and they both ordered waffles and a sweet cup of tea each.

"Doesn't it ever get to you Hitomi?" Zero couldn't help blurting.

Hitomi gave him a weird look. "Does what get to me?"

"The number of vampires in this city!" Zero exclaimed in a loud whisper. He knew that he was supposed to be keeping a low profile, but surely Hitomi would understand. After all, she had been violated by these bloodsucking bastards too. "They are nothing more than beasts in human skin, but yet they treat people like _us_ like scum…"

Hitomi raised one delicate blonde eyebrow before responding. "People like us? But surely _we_ are beasts too?" her voice was frosty.

A voice in Zero's head berated him for being such a fool. He should never have revealed such thoughts in the vampire city of Nine-Orchids. But another part of his mind was just as mad at Hitomi. Why would she react this way? Was she one of those ex-humans that were _happy _to be treated badly by the vampires, feeling that it was their place. Zero felt that what could have been a great friendship had already been destroyed.

"I just thought that you, of all people, would understand…"

Hitomi sighed, looking more exasperated than angry now. "Zero I know how you feel, but trust me when I tell you that things are changing. The vampires here in Nine-Orchids are a lot more understanding than most."

"But Shizuka was the _queen _of Nine-Orchids and look at what she did to us!" Zero said heatedly. _Oops, _Zero thought, _I just let something huge slip…_

Hitomi raised her eyebrows. "So that evil bitch turned you too?" she asked softly.

The two of them had been so wrapped up in their discussion that they both jumped when the waitress set their waffles down in front of them.

They were barely on the table before Zero started tucking in, both because he was so hungry he thought he might pass out and also to hide his embarrassment at the serious debate he had started.

"Zero, the vampires from Shizuka's court really _were _beasts, but Lord Kaname is such an amazing ruler, he's changed everything for ex-humans in this city."

"You know Kuran?" Zero asked, shocked.

"Yes. He replaced Shizuka so he got her rooms, her soldiers and her plaything… me. He was so different from Shizuka, he treated me like I was actually a person, you know? I served him as a maid for a while, and he really changed me. I was barely more than an animal when he found me, but it's thanks to him that I'm the person I am today. I joined the army because of him, I really want a chance to return the favour and so I'll do my best to keep him safe. I know vampires have hurt you too, but please, just give _this_ vampire a chance," she finished, giving him an imploring look.

Her words were unbelievable, but Zero knew she wasn't lying. This Kuran character was certainly a puzzle, but Zero did not think his actions were as selfless as Hitomi believed. He felt sorry for her, as when this pureblood bastard's true motives became clear it would hurt her very deeply. The two kept to safer subjects after that, before realising the second call would be sounding soon.

"The food there really is good," Zero said, feeling that their friendship would be okay after all. "But I won't feel better until I've repaid the favour."

Hitomi smiled, and they continued on to the barracks making cheerful small talk.

"And here we are," Hitomi said, leading him into a large roughly constructed building. "Ugh, seems like everybody waited 'til second call today," she said, glancing at the long lines of ex-humans that were queued down the centre of the building.

Zero peered around the queue to see who what was at the top and saw the two vampires he had meet yesterday in the recruitment centre standing before the line of people. The redhead took one man by the arm and he and the blonde led the man down a side door.

"Hey! Did you see who's leading the evaluations Zero?" Hitomi asked, standing on her tiptoes and still failing to see.

"Yeah, it's the two guys I met yesterday, I think one of them is called Aido."

"Yuck! Do you know that for my assessment he started checking me out! He's such a creep… but at least now I get a chance to kick that arrogant prick's ass," she said with a smirk. "He must have pissed off Lord Kuran again, idiot!"

The two of them moved up the line at a snails pace, waiting rather impatiently for their chance to show off their fighting skills. Whilst waiting Hitomi explained to the rather ignorant Zero about how they would be assessed. She told him that they would be fighting with weighted wooden weapons of their choice against one of the two nobles, either Kain or Aido, and would be graded accordingly. There were three different grades, gold, silver and bronze. Gold grade would be sent for training to become members of Lord Kuran's personal army, and were the only group that could possibly become vampire knights. Silver grade would be trained to keep the peace around Nine-Orchids and would receive training to deal with the frequent hunter raids. And bronze grade were members of the general army, who were called upon only when dealing with full blown war.

Zero considered her words, now feeling a little nervous. He _needed_ to receive gold grade so he could get closer to the pureblood. Yagari had given him plenty of training, but now that Zero saw how many he was competing with he was starting to fear that he wouldn't cut the mustard.

The line grew shorter and shorter, and Zero could feel his palms beginning to sweat. At last they were close enough to watch those in front of them be assessed through the open door on their left. The two that they watched weren't bad, but weren't amazing either. At last it was Hitomi's turn.

Zero watched through the partition, and saw her pick the slender twin blades as her weapon. She then walked into the middle of the sawdust strewn room, a determined look on her delicate features. Aido looked quite apprehensive, and quite rightly in Zero's opinion.

Then the fight had started, Hitomi making the first move. Zero was fascinated. The girl had not been lying when she said she was good. In fact, the word good was an understatement. Her moves were graceful and precise, always hitting their target and her speed was unbelievable. She was like a lithe blonde blur moving like a dancer, fluid and fast. Aido didn't even manage to land one hit on her.

She managed to land a final strike, hitting Aido on the side of the head with the hilt of one of the wooden swords. Zero could not believe how well she had done considering her inferior reach. Kain walked over to help up his cousin, then saying something Zero couldn't hear to Hitomi. Whatever it was, it must have been good; Hitomi's face was glowing.

Zero felt his stomach churn nervously. The pressure was on him now.

VVVVVVVVVVV

_Thanks for reading! And once again, constructive criticism is welcomed._

_Please review! *^_^*_


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight. '^_^_

* * *

><p>Aido winced, rubbing the side of his head. "I swear that girl was trying to kill me…" he moaned with a self-pitying grimace.<p>

"I almost wish she did," Kain replied dryly, drawing a murderous look from his idiotic cousin. "It's your fault we're here, so deal with it."

Zero watched their exchange with silent amusement, whist the two nobles and the ex-human made their way back to him.

"Gold!" Hitomi exclaimed, smiling widely. "Oh, don't look so scared, you'll do fine!"

Zero nodded, throat feeling dry.

"Zero, I'm afraid I'll have to interrupt another of your assessments," a silky voice spoke behind him, and Zero turned so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. Sure enough, it was the pureblood. He must have been masking his aura, because he was totally unreadable under Zero's renewed suppressing charm.

"Lord Kaname!" the three other vampires exclaimed, seemingly just as surprised by his presence as Zero.

"Ah, Hitomi! It's nice to see you again. I hope you're getting along okay," Kaname said warmly.

"Of course Kaname! It's all thanks to you," she replied.

Zero noticed that she had left out the 'lord' when she addressed him the second time. From the way they spoke, they did indeed seem like close friends. What was this crafty demon up to? Zero had only known Hitomi for a little while, but he now found himself feeling quite protective of her. He hated how this pureblood was stringing her along, but found that he no longer felt mad at Hitomi for having affection towards the man. He was extremely genuine in the way he chatted with the pretty ex-human, in the way he smiled. It was always hard to fake a smile, something about the eyes always gave it away. But this Kaname Kuran somehow managed to spread a false warmth into his beautiful, sparkling garnet eyes. He was a pro, Zero thought, because the alternative was impossible. A pureblood prince couldn't really care about an inferior ex-human… could he?

"I'm glad you and Zero seem to have become friends, I have to admit I was a little worried about him," Kaname turned to smile in his direction. "Actually, it's you I'm here to see, Mr. Matsuda. If you have a moment, would you mind coming with me?"

"I haven't taken my assessment yet…" Zero said, feeling the usual distrust he felt around high bloods, as well as a strange flutter in his stomach as the pureblood had smiled at him. He wasn't certain what the feeling meant, but guessed it was something to do with his hunter senses. For some unknown reason, his face also felt quite warm.

"That doesn't really matter, Zero. I will explain if you have time to come with me."

"Of course, Lord Kaname," Zero replied. Kaname smiled again before gesturing for Zero to follow him.

"Ooh, maybe he wants to make you a vampire knight!" Hitomi laughed, waving as Zero fell into step a respectful distance behind the pureblood.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you again," Kaname began as they left the assessment centre. "I wouldn't have done so if I didn't find it necessary. It is nice to see that you look to be in much better health than when we last talked. I assume you have been assigned a blood source?"

"Yes. Me and Hitomi have been asked to share blood," Zero said, feeling extremely uncomfortable at the prospect of small talk with a pureblood. He felt some small swirls of Kaname's aura and they seemed to be pretty neutral, so he doubted very much that the pureblood had cottoned on to his real reasons for being in the capital. But for some reason the prospect of just being near the man made him feel uncomfortable.

"Ah, yes. You're lucky. She's a wonderful girl, and she's very loyal to her friends," the pureblood answered. For some reason this response sparked a small flame of jealousy in Zero, and it surprised him. He liked Hitomi, but had no particularly strong feelings for her. Perhaps it was just because she really _was_ a sweet person and he didn't like the idea of a manipulative pureblood pursuing her.

As they walked and made awkward (to Zero, in any case) small talk, the young hunter couldn't help but notice that they were heading into an even grander part of the city. These vampires certainly liked to flaunt their wealth. Each building seemed to have a large intricate façade, each one an exquisite work of art and entirely unique. Zero knew that he was gawking like the country boy that he was, but he didn't feel like he could help it.

Kaname smiled at the ex-human's obvious awe. "The scenery is probably a little gaudier than the camp of those malicious hunters. But don't worry, you're among friends now." This comment elicited a sardonic snort from Zero, which he hastily concealed behind a cough.

"In actual fact, that is why I require your presence. You know more than anyone else in this city what lies in the hunter camp. Kidnapping you has been their biggest mistake. We'll make them pay for their poor treatment of you," Kaname's voice was surprisingly tough. It was the first time the pureblood had displayed an obvious show of emotion that Zero found plausible. After all, the hunter camp had gone out of their way to make themselves a pain for the high bloods.

This news did not bode well for Zero or Master Yagari's plan. He was going to have to keep a level head if he was to stand up to the close scrutiny that Lord Kuran was obviously planning for him. It had neverbeen his aim to come to the attention of _any_ high bloods, let alone the bloody pureblood prince.

Really, what were the odds?

"Sorry, my Lord, but I'm not sure if I can be of much help. I'll do my best to answer your questions though," Zero said, hoping that he was convincing the older vampire.

"I'm very sorry if I will be forcing you to relive painful memories, but it's the only way to ensure that those vile _hunters_ don't harm anyone else of our kind," Kaname said with steel in his voice, effectively ending the discussion for now.

The pair walked the rest of the way in silence that was somehow worse than the small talk. He knew that he should be panicking around now, kicking his brain into overtime to create believable responses that would be convincing without giving away too much, but for some reason Zero wasn't too worried. Even though Zero believed Kaname had ulterior motives for his kindness to low bloods, it was still obvious that he was no ordinary pureblood, and Zero didn't feel as frightened around him as he probably should. He once again found himself wondering why the man acted like he did. Shizuka killed for fun, hunted humans and tortured ex-humans but she hadn't ever pretended she was anything less than an evil, sadistic bitch. Perhaps the way Kaname acted simply made him even _more_ dangerous, calming his prey until they willingly walked into the den of the beast.

Zero's musings were interrupted as they rounded another corner to come into sight of a magnificent building, even larger and more elaborately constructed than the surrounding architecture. Zero realised that he was gawping again, and hurriedly followed the pureblood as he ascended the steps before his palace. The thick oaken doors opened before the prince, and Zero scurried after the pureblood feeling humbled by the size of the entrance hall. How could he and his tiny group of hunters tear all this down? It seemed impossible.

Kaname led Zero through many hallways and up a few flights of stairs before stopping. "In this room is my adviser Takuma Ichijo. He is also my tactician and he will be asking you questions to help us learn more about the hunters. If you feel uncomfortable talking about anything, please let me know. I really don't want to force you into anything, but at the same time I feel that learning what you know is necessary," Kaname's ruby gaze was concerned.

"Oh, thank you, Lord Kaname. I understand," Zero said.

Kaname walked a few more paces and opened the door for Zero, making the ex-human feel that the gesture had been performed back to front. Zero entered into yet another richly appointed room that contained a large mahogany table and a rather amiable looking noble vampire.

* * *

><p>Aido escorted Hitomi to the gold grade training arena, leaving Kain to grade the rest of the waiting vampires with the unfortunate Shiki, who had only popped in to relay a message and had instead been recruited by Kain.<p>

He couldn't help sneaking glances at the pretty level 'D. She may have beaten the crap out of him, but she was still very attractive and Aido was certainly not above copping a glimpse now and then. He was considering making a move on her, but wasn't sure if he should. It was obvious that she and Kaname had a history, and the pureblood had never been the sort of person to broadcast his affections for someone, even to his friends. What if the pureblood had a thing for her? Aido would be a permanent punching bag for the army recruits if he started chatting up a girl Kaname had his eye on. Aido knew that as an ex-human that she would never be anything more than a thrall for Kaname, but purebloods were notoriously possessive of their lovers.

"Um, Aido? Wasn't that the gold grade training area back there?" Hitomi's voice shook him from his daydreams. Aido blushed as he realised that she was right. He had been so caught up inside of his head that he had led her straight past their destination.

"Oh yeah, you're right," Aido said, turning back.

"Wow, you're a great guide," Hitomi laughed, forcing his face to colour even more. Even though he rather fancied her, Aido was beginning to become a little annoyed with her too.

"It's not my fault!" Aido blurted. "You're the one who distracted me!"

"How did I distract you?" Hitomi asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I- I don't… Shut up!" Aido huffed petulantly, his face now a deep shade of crimson. "If you know the way then you can go yourself."

With that the young noble stalked off. Hitomi shook her head and hid a smile behind her hand. He was so easily flustered, and so transparent! Trying not to laugh at his foolishness, or at least not until he was out of earshot, she made her way to the Gold grade training arena on her own.

* * *

><p>Zero hugged the corded muscles of Lily's neck as she speed across the dusty ground, jouncing him back and forth in his saddle as they raced to the fringes of the forest.<p>

He felt a little dazed. He had never left his home of the hunter camp for most of his life, and now after only two days at the capital city he had been elevated to a gold grade palace soldier. Nothing was as it seemed at Nine-orchids, and he felt confused. He was not ready to let go of his long held preconceptions after only forty-eight hours, but neither could he pretend that he had been right in all of his prejudices.

For whatever reason ex-humans were treated with a kind of indifference that had surprised him. He had expected that he would have to deal with some harsh and perhaps even violent discrimination, and while it was clear that some people, such as the blonde Aido, were not comfortable with the status of level 'Ds, most of the vampires had been nothing other than pleasant.

He could not pretend that it was all fake; Kyoko and Hitomi had no discernable reason to deceive him. Neither did Lord Kuran need to act like he did. Purebloods could do whatever they wanted and still be respected solely because of the status their blood brought them. Zero just didn't understand Kaname, or why he acted the way he did. Every moment he had spent in the enigmatic man's company had only served to baffle him even more.

In the meeting he had had with Kaname the pureblood had been very compassionate, which was the main reason Zero's head still remained on his shoulders. When the questions he was asked became more dangerous for him, Zero had been able to blame emotional distress for his cloudy answers. He had still made sure to give them all the information that Yagari had assured him it was safe to reveal, and hopefully it was enough to ensure that they would trust him.

He had been absolutely astounded when Kaname had taken him aside after the meeting and asked him if he wanted to train to become a gold grade soldier. The pureblood had said that Zero's information was extremely important, and that as the only sole surviving vampire to escape the hunter camp it would be good to have him close at hand.

Zero still couldn't believe his luck. Yagari had wanted him to get close to the pureblood without drawing too much attention to himself, and although he had failed on the latter big time, he had still gotten closer to the pureblood than they had thought possible.

Lily's strong hoof beats began to slow as she came closer to her home. The hunter camp was just ahead, and she cantered to the entrance without being directed. As they made their way through the trees the moonlight allowed Zero's keen vision to make out the tents and structures of the camp. Although he had known what he would find, it was still quite sad to see the place that he knew as home in such a state. The tents had been taken down and furled into large canvas rolls, and the wooden structures had been emptied. Hunters were loading up wagons with the supplies taken from the shanty buildings, and draping bulging saddle bags over their horses backs.

Zero dismounted Lily and led her the rest of the way. After all, the mare was going to have to carry his weight all the way to the settlement within another few hours. She deserved a rest.

"There's a vampire nearby!" Zero heard one of the hunters exclaim, obviously alerted by his senses. "Zero? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me!" Zero called back, recognising the voice of Junpei, one of the older hunters. There was a rough sound and then a torch sprang to life, illuminating both the other hunters and the young vampire. "Where is Master Yagari?"

"He's up at his old place. I think he's having regrets, even though this whole bloody thing was his idea," Junpei said grumpily, slinging the rolled up canvas that used to be his home over the back of his huge roan stallion.

Zero released Lily's reigns, letting her trot over to the water trough that the hunters had made for their mounts. She was a strong horse, but Zero knew it would be hard for her to take him all the way back in time for sunrise. He walked down the shanty village, watching it be disassembled with mixed emotions. This was his home and it would be sad to see it go, but there was also excitement swirling within him. Finally the hunters would rise up against those that had wronged them, at last they would have their revenge.

Yagari was indeed back at his old house, but Zero had some serious doubts that his master was feeling sentimental. He was removing his hunter charmed guns and weapons from the small shack that had been the biggest house Zero had known until recently. Yagari seemed to be truly happy, and his eyes held a strong current of satisfaction. Zero knew that his master had been looking forward to taking action for a long time, and suddenly felt a burst of inadequacy. The hunters were moving their entire camp in the hopes that he would succeed for them. What if he failed?

"Ah, Zero! You're earlier than I expected!" Yagari said, fairly radiating excitement. "How are those bloodsuckers treating you?"

Zero relayed everything that had happened to his master, watching his face flicker from emotion to emotion. After he had finished Yagari was wearing a frown.

"I hope you're not going soft on me, Zero. You of all people should know what those freaks are capable of."

Zero felt his cheeks heat. "I never said that, Master Touga. I was only saying that they treat my kind a lot better than you told me they would. And the girl Hitomi is very strong. You would like her if you met her, master."

"How could I like _any_ of those bloodsucking bastards?" Yagari shouted. A few of the hunters that were packing up nearby turned at the loud exclamation.

Zero was outraged at the outburst, but he also felt deeply ashamed. He had been treated so kindly by the vampires at Nine-Orchids that he had almost forgotten what he was. He was an abomination, and he was wrong to think that he ever deserved to be anything more.

Yagari sighed and ran his hands through his hair, which he had left naked tonight. His hat was in the pile he had gathered outside his ramshackle house.

"I didn't mean that Zero. You're different from them. You have hunter blood in you, and a high resistance to the vampire genes that you were infected with. You're one of a kind, and I could never think of you as one of those monsters," Yagari finished, the mirth he had shown when Zero had first caught sight of him was gone.

Zero wasn't sure if this comment made him feel better or worse. He had always been uncomfortable about his dual natures, and had suffered some harsh comments from the other hunters. Yagari had always been the one who had stuck up for him, and it had been extremely upsetting to think that deep down even the elder hunter was disgusted by what he was.

"I'm sorry, Zero," Yagari said, voice hoarse. "I just don't want you to lose sight of why you are at Nine-Orchids."

Zero looked up, stunned. Even though Yagari had raised him for most of his life, he had _never_ heard the hunter apologise. Maybe it was just that his emotions were running high that had prompted his comment. Zero hoped so.

Yagari bent and rummaged through the carefully assorted pile of weapons, finally selecting one of the guns before straightening. He held it out, causing its barrel to gleam a liquid silver in the moonlight.

"This is the Bloody Rose," Yagari said as Zero grasped the handle of the proffered gun. "I've watched you practise often enough and I'm certain you will handle it correctly. You're one hell of a good aim, and thanks to your good work and a huge dose of luck, it seems that this whole thing will be over before it even started."

"What do you mean?" Zero asked, his delight in gaining the beautifully crafted weapon suddenly dissolved.

"What do you think I mean?" Yagari said, that excited edge present in his voice again. "You've gotten closer to the pureblood than we had ever imagined. We don't have to wait any longer, Zero. Purebloods aren't easily killed, but with your skill and that idiot's trusting nature, the ruling vampire could be dead in weeks, maybe even days!"

Zero felt his stomach turn to ice. He had of course known this day would come, but it had happened so suddenly. He felt afraid for himself; only an idiot would face a pureblood without fear, but he also felt a reluctance that's source was harder to pinpoint.

"I'm not sure if I trust in myself as much as you do, Master Toga. But I'll do my best."

"Of course you will, and you'll do great! But just in case things don't happen as fast as we need them to, we'll be moving our camp deeper into the forest. We'll send a scout to lead you to our new settling place, so try to be back here at the same time next week."

Zero nodded. "When I told them the location of our camp, Kuran said he would muster a small force to investigate within two days. Can you be a safe distance away by then?"

"Of course, Zero. Now, you'd better be getting back before someone notices your absence."

Zero nodded solemnly, tucking the Bloody Rose in underneath his coat.

Yagari ruffled his hair fondly. "Be careful, Zero."

"You too," Zero said, and walked back to the trough to get Lily. She had wandered only a few steps from where he had left her, cropping the grass around the forest edge. He patted her back, and then pulled himself up into the saddle. Lily was reluctant to leave after being reunited with her old home, but he finally got her to carry him back toward the human settlement.

The gun hidden under his coat felt like a lead weight. Zero had never killed anyone before, apart from an escaped level 'E that had crept close to their camp. One bullet had ended the poor, insane beast's miserable excuse for a life, but as the person had already fallen into madness it was very different. Zero thought of the silky hair and garnet eyes of his victim, and wondered if he had the guts to end the life of such a beautiful creature.

As Lily's hooves once again picked up their swift gait Zero realised he was being extremely optimistic. Even if he had the courage to pull the trigger, there were overwhelming odds that he would be dead before the bullet had even travelled half a centimetre. Purebloods had a fierce reputation for a reason, and even though he didn't choose show it, the same power lay under Kaname Kuran's creamy skin.

Zero felt uneasy and torn as Lily sped into the night.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think! <em>

_Constructive criticism is welcomed. =3_


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight, I'm sure you're surprised. =P_

* * *

><p>Zero trudged his way through Nine-Orchids, thinking longingly of the warm bed in his dorm. The sun was just creeping over the horizon, bleeding light into the city, and Zero knew that he wouldn't have much time to sleep before evening rolled around and he would be expected to go to training.<p>

As he reached the door to his boarding house he felt a huge burst of relief. As well as a rest, he was also dying to get the incriminating weapon out of his pocket. There was nobody in the lobby at this time, and the fireplace was filled with dying embers. As he put his foot on the first step, a voice called out and stopped him in his tracks. His hand reflexively clutched at the bulge in his coat pocket.

"Zero! I've been waiting for you!" Hitomi had been in the same chair she been in before. She was small enough that the chair back had hidden her from view.

Zero lowered his hand guiltily, and then gasped in surprise. Hitomi's pretty face had been blemished with numerous blue and yellowing bruises. She was in the same state he had been in after Yagari had given him his beating.

"Yeah, it's pretty bad," Hitomi said, rubbing her puffy and bruised face. "I was starting to think you weren't coming home and that I'd have to deal with this until tomorrow. Where were you?"

"That doesn't matter! What happened to you?" Zero asked, concerned.

"A couple of nobles decided that it wasn't right to put a 'D in the gold grade. I'm a pretty good fighter, but so were they," she said, sounding more embarrassed than anything else.

Zero felt his anger flare. How dare they! Yagari was right, the discrimination was still there, even if it had remained hidden until now. "Who did it?" he asked between gritted teeth. "Who did this to you? Was it that little blonde prick?"

"You mean Aido?" Hitomi asked, a small smile spreading across her bruised lips. "Definitely not. You saw how well I kicked his ass. And besides, I think he's got a thing for me." She took a glance at his angry expression and her joviality faltered. "Listen Zero, don't try anything on my behalf. I want to fight my own battles, and believe me, I _will _get even. I'm done with people walking over me."

"But there is something you could do for me, Zero. I've been waiting for you for hours. Can I…?" she reached out and stroked the inside of his right arm under the heavy coat sleeve.

Zero nodded, feeling almost unbearably nervous as he shed his coat. He draped the coat over his left arm, hoping to conceal the shape of the weapon underneath. He pulled up his shirt sleeve, holding out his naked arm for her. Her small, strong fingers gripped his wrist tightly, and Zero noticed that she was trembling a little. She was obviously in more need than she was trying to let on.

She raised his arm to her lips and kissed his skin gently, making him blush and feel even more nervous. When she opened her mouth her fangs had descended noticeably, and she slowly pressed her ivory incisors into his flesh. There was a little pain, like he had expected, but with Hitomi the act was not as frightening as he had imagined it to be.

As she drew in her first deep draught, Zero could actually feel the blood flowing through his veins in to her waiting mouth. He felt her warm, wet tongue lapping up the drops she had missed. The initial pain of the penetration had gone, but the sensation was still quite uncomfortable. It seemed that this act was only gratifying for the one doing the biting.

After a few more sips she withdrew her fangs from his skin and licked the punctures to slow the bleeding. Zero allowed his shirt sleeve to fall back down to his wrist and stood awkwardly whilst Hitomi tried to recover from her blood euphoria. The fact that they had only drank from each other's wrists had taken some of the intimacy of the act away, but not all of it. The act was still quite a sensual one, and Zero felt uncomfortable now that it was over.

"Thank you, Zero," Hitomi said, her voice a little wobbly still. "I can already feel that blood going to work on my injuries."

"No problem," Zero answered, but something she had said niggled at him. "But why did you wait for me?"

"What do you mean? I needed your blood so I could begin to heal."

"I was just thinking if you needed blood badly, why didn't you go to your other blood source?" Zero asked, genuinely interested.

"What are you talking about?" Hitomi asked, her voice rising defensively to a tone Zero hadn't heard from her before. "You heard Kyoko. Before you turned up I hadn't been assigned a blood source."

"But you told me that you've been living at the palace for years. You had to have had a blood source there. If you needed blood then why didn't you get it from that person?"

"What business of yours is it who I drink from?" she snapped. "We've only shared blood twice and you think you own me?"

She shook her head and took a deep breath, before turning an apologetic look his way. "I'm sorry, Zero. It's just that the person I used to drink from… he's dead." Her eyes were suddenly very bright.

"Oh, I'm really sorry," Zero said, feeling angry at himself for putting his foot in it. "And you're right, it wasn't my business anyway. I'll see you at the training area tomorrow."

"Wait, what do you mean? You still haven't taken your assessment yet," Hitomi asked, blinking away her unshed tears.

Her voice was attempting to be conversational and cheerful again, and even though he wanted nothing more than to curl up under his blanket and snooze, he decided to sit up and tell Hitomi a censured version of his day.

The two of them sat before the glowing embers still sparkling in the hearth and chatted comfortably. Zero found himself really enjoying her company in a way that he had never felt with anyone else. All the other hunters in the camp had a good decade on his age, and those that had been born in the settlement were not even in their teens yet. It was a nice change to have someone so close to his own age to talk with.

Finally, even though he wished to continue talking, his eyelids grew too heavy and he and Hitomi both made their way to their dorm rooms. Zero slid in and closed the door behind him, feeling wrecked. He slipped his coat over the desk chair and heard the metal thump against the wood. He would worry about what to do after a nice rest.

* * *

><p>"You like him, don't you?" Takuma asked, smiling.<p>

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about Takuma. I only met him two days ago," Kaname replied aloofly, but he had to work to keep himself from answering his adviser's smile with one of his own.

He did indeed find the young man very interesting. He had an intense air around him and Kaname admired his strength. He had never heard of an ex-human suppressing their vampire nature for as long as Zero had, hunter charms or not. And there was, of course, his very attractive and exotic looks. His colouring and skin tone were very unusual for a vampire and Kaname found himself appreciating the young man's looks when he was in his presence, even though he knew he shouldn't. Those silver-lilac eyes in particular had captivated the prince.

"Oh really? Then why did you get him into the gold grade? He _has_ been held captive for years, after all. I wonder if he has the strength to be a soldier yet?" Takuma said.

"Oh come on, Takuma. The hunters had him doing tough labour for them, didn't you notice how toned he was?"

"I see that _you_ certainly noticed," Takuma teased. "But do you really think he could have been a prisoner for so long and still seem as healthy as he does?"

"You didn't see him when he first arrived. He was a mess," Kaname said, frowning at the memory of the ex-human's beaten and bruised form.

"Hmm…" Takuma said, looking thoughtful. "I wonder -"

There was a loud knock at the door, cutting Takuma short. Kaname give the person permission to enter, and the door opened to admit one of the Vampire Knights loyal to the Kuran family.

"You told me that you wanted to be informed of when the soldiers were ready to leave for the dissident hunter group. We have assembled our force and are ready to leave at your command," the knight stated.

"Already? Well, I guess I'd better get ready then," Kaname said, standing up. "Please take my horse to your group."

The soldier nodded, and bowed before excusing himself. As soon as the door closed Takuma rounded on his friend.

"What are you doing Kaname? You aren't going with them, are you?"

"What sort of leader would I be if I sent my men out to do the dangerous missions whilst I sat in here, signing documents."

"One that would still be alive, Kaname! Why do you think you have trained soldiers if you feel you have to do their job?" Takuma asked, exasperated. He loved Kaname for his compassion and loyalty, but sometimes his sense of honour was less of a highlight in his personality and more of a hindrance.

"I don't feel that I have to do their job Takuma. I just feel that Shizuka's rule came close to destroying this entire country, let alone Nine-Orchids. I want to show people that if I get on the throne I won't be a self-serving sadist like her. If I go out to this potentially dangerous location the people will know that I care for the commoners. After all, it's usually the lower blood vampires that get targeted by the hunters. I want them to know I feel they're just as important as those of higher blood."

Takuma understood and respected Kaname's reasons, but he still thought it a stupid idea to send the pureblood with the scouting party. Still, Kaname was nothing if not noble, and even though what Takuma really felt like doing was to cuff his friend on the back of the head, he realised that he had already made up his mind to join him.

"Fine. But I'm coming with you."

"Takuma, I'll be fine on my own. I'm sure Shiki wouldn't appreciate you making this decision without consulting him."

The blonde noble sighed. "I love Shiki. But my first loyalty is to you, Kaname. He understands that."

Kaname nodded, and felt a surge of pride and guilt. He did not want to be responsible for tearing his friend from his lover, but he was extremely grateful to have someone in the twisted political world that he could trust with his life. "Thank you," he said simply, and both knew that his words were not only referring to this moment, but for everything.

* * *

><p>"Come on, Zero!" Hitomi shouted, swiping at him with her weighted wooden twin blades. "What are you going to do if you meet a woman in battle? You need to get over you prejudices and strike back!"<p>

Zero caught her attack and countered with a fast swipe of his heavy katana. It was another deliberate miss, and it was obvious. "It's not just because you're a woman!" Zero panted, parrying another half a dozen of her swift jabs. "It's because you're my friend, too."

"I think you're just scared that I'd give you a proper hiding if you went on the offensive," she said, obviously trying to bait him. When he didn't respond she doubled the pace of her attacks, moving so fast that her arms were a blur.

Zero felt a hard thump hit the side of his head, and swayed, trying to clear the stars from his vision. A moment later he lost his battle with gravity and collapsed to the sawdust strewn floor.

Hitomi's exertion flushed face appeared before him, a look of concern gracing her delicate features. She handed him a glass bottle of cool water as she sat down beside him.

"They're going to kick you out of the gold grade if you don't stop losing on purpose. Then I'd be stuck in here with no other friends, and that would suck. So try harder, okay?"

Zero nodded and took a long, grateful swig from the water bottle. Seeing his expression Hitomi gave him a disapproving poke. "I mean it, Zero. If you can't even practise with me maybe you really don't deserve to be a palace soldier. Your job is to protect your pureblood against any threat, even if you have to turn against your own friends to do so. Besides, you're kind of hurting my feelings. I'm a great fighter so don't treat me like I'm made of glass."

Zero knew she was right, and not just about this situation. No matter what route he took now, they would all lead him to betrayal. If he tried to kill the pureblood and succeeded, he would be betraying Hitomi, not to mention the pureblood himself, who had been surprisingly nice to Zero since his arrival. Zero was still sure the man was playing a game, even if he was becoming more confused about what that game might be. However, if he chose to do nothing he would be betraying his master, and would dishonour the memory of his dead parents. Why the hell had he agreed to do this? For some reason the prince's face rose to the fore of his mind, scarlet hued eyes glittering, silky ebony locks caressing his pale cheeks. The doubt was overwhelming, but surely his dead mother and father would rather he learn the whole situation before killing a stranger.

After he had drained the water bottle he stood up, full of a new determination. It had been three days since he had returned from his meeting with Yagari, and the question had been bothering him every waking moment after he had received the gun. The Bloody Rose had not left it's new home in his desk drawer yet.

He came to a temporary decision. He would do nothing for the time being, but would instead learn more about these people before he decided where his loyalties lay. Yagari would just have to wait.

"Okay, Hitomi, I won't go easy on you. But don't blame me when you get hurt."

Hitomi smiled, white teeth gleaming. "You wish! I'm going to win this!"

The two ex-humans threw themselves into the next fight, with neither gaining the upper hand. After about an hour of trading blows both of them were thoroughly exhausted.

"Wow, not bad!" Hitomi huffed, trying in vain to catch her breath. "That's the best work out I've had in ages."

Zero was so worn out that he just sat there, taking in deep gulps of air. He silently agreed with her. He had thought that due to her small stature and shorter reach that he would have easily won if he had tried hard enough. He now realised that he had been terribly overconfident to think so. There was a reason this girl had been hand picked for the prince's personal army, when he himself had only gotten in because of he had lied to the authorities.

Hitomi sat down beside him, both of them leaning against the wall of the training room as they tried to heave enough air into their demanding lungs. A moment later, when they had recovered, she elbowed Zero in the ribs.

"Look, its Seiren. I wonder if she's going to tell us off for having a break?" Hitomi said, eyes wide.

Zero looked up to see the silver haired woman make her way over to the pair. She was the only person Zero had met so far who shared his hair colour, but that was where their similarities ended. He had never seen someone as aloof and remote as the older vampire. She was frostily cold to him, and so far had not shown any hint of emotion, apart from her keen fanaticism when it came to the protection of her favourite pureblood. Zero had thought Hitomi was passionate when it came to Kaname, but this woman was the most devoted person he had ever seen.

Zero was just as concerned as Hitomi was as to why Seiren would single them out, but when she spoke her words surprised him.

"Both of you show great skill, far beyond that of most novices and surprisingly higher than those of your blood status usually achieve. In fact, I believe that you have progressed enough to start the next part of your training," she said. Zero saw Hitomi sit up straight beside him.

"You will now be expected to patrol around the palace with an experienced soldier. Your assigned soldier will observe you and grade you according to how they think you have coped. You will be informed of who you will be working with tomorrow," with that she turned back to inspect the other soldiers. Zero had never heard her say so much in one go before.

"This is amazing!" Hitomi exclaimed, turning to Zero with a glittering smile. "We must be progressing faster than anyone else ever has. We rock!"

"Yeah," Zero replied, smiling.

"What's wrong?"

"I just don't know if I'm ready for this," Zero admitted. "I mean, we've only been training for a few days."

"Seiren would never ask anyone to look after Kaname's palace unless she thought they'd be up to the challenge. So lighten up!"

"Yeah, you're right," Zero said, feeling his confidence grow at her sensible words. "Hey, now we've got paid for getting into the gold grade I can repay you for that coffee. Come on." He stood, reaching out to help Hitomi to her feet. She grasped his hand gratefully, and the two of them headed to the café.

* * *

><p>Kaname reached out to pat the neck of his beautiful palomino mare, relining his mind with hers. Horses were very skittish around vampires, but most nobles had their own horses whose minds were linked with theirs shortly after the animal's birth. Just like purebloods had mental control over nobles and low bloods, any vampire could control an animal if they had enough practise.<p>

He pulled himself back up onto the saddle. The horse danced a little, before her will was absorbed into Kaname's and she stilled.

"Lord Kuran, we still haven't found a trace of where the hunters have gone. I fear the trail may have gone cold. It might be in our best interests to return home."

Kaname heard the knight's words but did not respond. He had left for the dissident hunter camp two nights ago, and had been searching the nearby area for them ever since. He knew that his knight was correct.

They had arrived at the coordinates given to them by the ex-human Zero Matsuda only to find that there had indeed been a camp in this area, but that it had been hastily disassembled shortly before their arrival. Takuma had been surprised to find any evidence at all of the camp. He still did not entirely trust the young ex-human, and had expected that the young man's directions would be false, and that he would blame his trauma for his poor memory.

Kaname had been ecstatic. He had wanted to get rid of the hunters for so long, and the camp ground showed obvious signs of being lived in recently. He was sure they would be near by, but none of his men had discovered them yet. The hunters had expected their coming and had created several different trails of hoof prints to throw the vampires off. Unfortunately, it seemed to have worked.

If they had planned for this after the escape of their captive, what other changes had they made? The hunters had clearly anticipated that their prisoner would blab their secrets, and they would make sure to move before that information could be used to trap them. None of the information Zero had given him would be of much use now.

"He's right, Kaname," Takuma piped up, slapping at a mosquito that was sipping from his neck. "They're gone, and they expected us. They won't be anywhere near here now. There isn't any point hanging around here getting eaten alive by these horrible bugs."

"You're right as usual, Takuma," Kaname sighed. "Round up the men and prepare for the journey back to Nine-Orchids."

Takuma nodded gratefully and moved off to carry out his orders. Kaname watched him ride off, feeling frustrated at how close he had come. There was a sudden and sharp pain on the back of his neck, like a needle had been slipped under his skin. He rubbed at it grumpily. Takuma had been right about the mosquitoes; this one had bitten him so hard it seemed like it had a desire to crawl under his skin.

After another few minutes the soldiers had all been rounded up. Kaname spurred his beautiful palomino on, leading the rest. The horses thundered across the grass, hooves sounding like deafening thunder as they trailed the pureblood prince.

* * *

><p><em>Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think. =3<em>

_x Tia _


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight. _

* * *

><p>As the horses cleared the fringes of the forest Kaname started to realise something was seriously wrong with him. The world was blurring before his eyes, and he was swaying a little in his saddle. It took a monumental effort just to keep himself upright, and he was beginning to panic. What if one of the knights saw him in such a state? As a pureblood he was expected to be a constant pillar of strength in the eyes of his people.<p>

He had no idea what had happened to him. One moment he had been riding home, his thoughts full of resentment at the hunters' escape, and the next second the whole world was listing to the side. After another few minutes a fiery pain had started to spread across his throat, itching and burning like a bad rash. As time passed he could detect the horrible sensation slowly trailing its way down through his body. He needed to get back to the palace so he could ask Aido's opinion on his ailment. The pain was consuming him and he desperately wanted to get rid of it. His panic was swiftly growing, but he worked hard to keep his face neutral. He didn't want anyone else to know about his mysterious and extremely fast acting illness.

His mare had fallen back slightly, and she now came into very close proximity to the other vampire knights. Kaname just hoped he wasn't advertising his discomfort for everyone to see. Out of the corner of his eye he could see an ebony horse approaching from the right. Kaname fought down a grimace. Takuma had noticed there was something up. Kaname hadn't expected anything less from his best friend; Takuma had a keen eye when it came to the pureblood's emotions, but he did not want to make a big deal of this until he was safely in his palace. Too many elders in the vampire court did not want to see him get the crown. To broadcast a sign of weakness was not just political suicide but put him in physical danger as well. He knew that he was safe with Takuma, though, and that the other vampire would not use this information against him. However, even among his close friends Kaname was loath to show weakness.

Luckily, Takuma was smart enough to keep his voice low when his mount drew closer to Kaname's. "What's going on?" he asked, the concern evident in his tone.

"I'm not sure, Takuma," Kaname admitted, showing his friend a rueful smile. "I haven't been feeling right for this past hour. I really think I need to see Aido when we get back." Takuma's eyes widened, alarmed. Aido was extremely well learned on the vampire body and was adept at diagnosing and curing illnesses. Telling whether an ex-human was sliding into level 'E status was only one of the young noble's many talents. But Takuma knew that Kaname would not go to Aido unless he was in serious pain. Aido practically worshiped the ground his pureblood master walked on, and Kaname would not want to worry him unless it was necessary.

"Of course. I'll lead the knights back to the barracks, and you can go find him when we reach the city."

"No!" Kaname answered in a loud whisper. "I have to be seen acting normally. When we get back I'm going to head to my chambers in the palace, just as I would if everything were normal. Please tell Aido I need to see him and bring him to me. You know what would happen if word of this got out…"

Takuma looked pale with worry, but nodded his head as Kaname urged his mare to take the lead once more.

The ride back to the capital was excruciating. Kaname felt like his body was being consumed with flames as the illness continued to intensify, carrying a hot liquid magma through his veins. He gripped the saddle with both legs and forced his back to remain straight but he knew that he could not keep up the charade for much longer. His mind raced, trying to puzzle out the source of his discomfort. The pain had only started as they had been racing their horses back across the grassland that separated Nine-Orchids from the forest. But perhaps it had not begun there at all… perhaps he had caught the illness a while before, but the symptoms were only presenting themselves now?

All thought on the matter ceased as the world began to drain of all colour. The vibrant green of the grass that passed under his horse's ground eating hooves had turn a dull rain cloud grey. Kaname swallowed hard, silently begging his body not to give out on him now. He only had to last another half hour and they would be back at the city. Another few scary minutes passed before the colour began to creep back into the landscape. Kaname felt a wash of gratitude as the night regained it's healthy hue before his vampire vision.

At last the city walls loomed before him, and Kaname had to stifle an audible sigh of relief. The horses cantered into Nine-Orchids, hooves clip-clopping on the paving stones. The captain of the Kuran knights lead the other horsemen off, taking Kaname's palomino mare and Takuma's black stallion with them to be feed and watered.

Takuma walked protectively close to him, whilst not being close enough to be too obvious. Hopefully passers-by would think the pair to be in deep discussion over matters of importance. Kaname felt a moment of dread as they came to the steps leading to his palace, but he managed to make his way to the top with a lot of effort and little incident. There were another number of staircases within the palace on the way to his rooms, but hidden behind the thick stone walls he was able to lean on Takuma for support. He would normally be mortified at such a weak gesture, but his mind was fuzzy with sick pain, and whenever the halls were empty he was very grateful for his friend's help.

At last they rounded the last corner before Kaname's quarters. Kaname felt a distant and unimportant kind of surprise to see the ex-human Zero standing guard outside of his room with a tall brown haired man. He didn't have time to ponder this for long before Takuma had opened his room door and guided him inside. As soon as he heard the heavy door close behind them he collapsed to his knees, feeling frighteningly frail. He could no longer feel the pain that had scorched him before, only an even more worrying numbness.

He felt hands slide down to grip his underarms, hoisting him up and carrying him through the room where he conducted all his business matters and onto the large and plush sofa that was pressed against the wall. All of this was a swirling blur before his fever clouded mind. Then there was the soft fabric of the sofa cushions under his skin, and some words being spoken from what felt like miles away. He could not determine their meaning, but he thought that maybe the voice belonged to Takuma? He curled into a ball on top of the couch, feeling his mind going blissfully blank…

* * *

><p>Being a palace guard was not much like Zero had imagined. He had been assigned to a tall, slender man with chestnut hair and a stern gaze. The noble had introduced himself as Masato, and had not said much else since. Zero had hoped he would be a little more vocal once they had gone off duty for their lunch break, but he was just as reticent as always. Zero hated the long silences; they gave him way to much time to think, and his thoughts always tended to go the same morose way.<p>

In the guardroom he had met up with Hitomi again, only to find that she was getting along famously with her assigned guard, an attractive and easygoing man called Daisuke. Zero felt jealous to see them laugh and joke as they ate lunch, whilst he was stuck with the silent and aloof Masato.

Even though he had never said anything, Zero still felt that the other man did not like him. His amber coloured eyes showed nothing other than a kind of cool contempt when they rested on him, and the feeling was fast becoming mutual.

For some reason Zero had imagined being a palace guard to be an exciting and challenging vocation, but he had been swiftly disillusioned. The job consisted of standing still in one place for long periods of time, and the most taxing thing the job entailed was trying to keep the complete boredom from showing on his face. He had only been promoted for half a day, and already he wanted to move back down the ladder.

Zero was happily lost in his own head when Masato's deep voice cut through his daydreams, explaining that it was time to change posts. Zero followed the older vampire, asking where they were going and receiving only silence as a reply. Zero sighed out loud. He knew that they had to be quiet when on the job, but this man was terribly boring _all _of the time. Yesterday, as he and Hitomi had been chatting about their new career, he had voiced his relief that Aido was not a soldier. Neither he nor Hitomi felt like they could put up with that arrogant pain in the ass as their superior, but now Zero would actually prefer him if it meant he didn't have to spend another minute with this man.

It turned out that they were standing guard outside of the room that the pureblood had led Zero to on his first visit to the palace. It was another long, boring and overall uneventful stretch of time… until the prince arrived, that was.

The pureblood's pale skin was flushed, his high cheekbones painted a light shade of pink. His eyes seemed somewhat glazed, and he was walking very close to the vampire Zero had spoken to before, Takuma. The two disappeared into the meeting room Zero had been in before, but there was something really odd about the pureblood. Zero thought he was acting like he had been on a drinking binge. Even the statue like Masato seemed interested. After a few minutes the pureblood's adviser appeared again, looking a little flushed himself. He greeted Zero warmly, but left in quite a hurry.

"What do you reckon is going on?" Zero asked Masato, not really expecting an answer but asking anyway.

"Ichijo is Lord Kuran's blood source. I doubt anything is going on, Lord Kuran is probably just hungry," Masato answered, but he didn't seem quite convinced by his own words.

Zero was surprised, both that the good natured noble was Kaname's blood source and that Masato had actually bothered to reply. He didn't have long to ponder this new information before a loud thump from the next room made both Zero and Masato turn in surprise. Masato give him a shocked look and knocked on the door loudly. There was no answer.

"Lord Kuran! Are you okay? Lord Kuran!" Masato shouted, voice becoming more panicked with each unanswered knock.

Zero felt stunned as he watched his co-worker thump at the door. He didn't know what to do, and he was aware that he was just standing there being of no use whatsoever. Still though, he had no idea what was going on. It took a lot to do even the slightest amount of damage to a pureblood, and they certainly did not just fall ill like a human would. What on earth had happened?

"Stand back, Zero!" Masato called, his voice filled with a previously unheard tone of authority. Zero hurriedly did as he was told.

Masato stood back a few steps, and then threw his right fist in an air punch, causing the wood of the door to crackle and disintegrate into a fine ash. Masato rushed into the room, leaving Zero standing stunned in his wake. He had heard noble vampires had amazing abilities but had never seen them in action before.

"Zero! Get in here!" Masato shouted. Zero sped in to the room, finding Masato crouched on the floor beside an unconscious Kaname Kuran. Zero felt his heart throb painfully at the sight of the prince sprawled on the floor, looking so uncharacteristically vulnerable.

"Stay with him, Zero. I'm going to go get someone, just keep him safe until I get back!" Masato rose from his haunches and raced off. Zero felt full of adrenaline as he kneeled beside the prince, taking Masato's place as the noble ran from the room, leaving him alone with the pureblood. Zero was shaking uncontrollably, his breathing heavy with nerves.

It could take a while before Masato would be back, and he would never get a better opportunity than this. He had wanted to wait, to judge what to do after knowing more, but now was his best chance if he was going to assassinate the prince. He could stall no longer.

Trembling from head to toe, Zero reached out to cradle the pureblood's limp form, lifting the prince's shoulders to rest on his right arm. The older vampire was very sick; his skin was fever hot against Zero's fingertips, even through his thick shirt. Kaname's head rolled to the side, giving Zero an enticing view of his graceful neck and perfect jaw line. Zero swallowed hard, heart hammering so fast he was sure that it would simply burst from his chest. The prince's ebony waves fell to cover his face, and Zero reached out a shaking hand to stroke the hair away. The pureblood's hair was silky and soft, and it glittered beautifully in his hand. Zero allowed the shimmering locks to fall back and frame Kaname's angelic face.

Zero felt his stomach flip-flop. He had not wanted to admit it before, but this man was beautiful. He wondered what Yagari would have said if he knew his student had such thoughts about a pureblood. But he realised now that it was something he could not help. Here in the vampire capital Zero had met a great number of attractive women, but they could not hold a candle to this man. Even with their makeup and perfectly styled hair they could never match his beauty. Just looking at him caused Zero to feel a mixture of excitement and anxiety.

The prince shifted a little in his arms and Zero almost dropped him in guilty surprise. Kaname's mouth opened slightly and he uttered a small pitiful moan that sent shivers running up and down Zero's back. A gleam of white caught Zero's eye, and he jumped as the prince's razor incisors were exposed.

What the hell was he doing? This man was not a cat or small animal to be approached without caution, he was a _pureblood._ The same type of hideous creature that had destroyed Zero's family, tortured and killed his parents in front of him whilst he lay there, helpless and screaming!

Hatred started creeping into Zero's mind and tears stung his eyes as those unwanted memories forced their way to the fore of his mind. This man may look like an angel, but he was a devil under that gorgeous alabaster skin and perfect face. Panic and anger clawed at Zero. He would be a fool not to take this opportunity, a fool and a traitor. He owed this to his parents.

He gently lowered the man's body to the floor, and felt his breathing speed up even more until he was practically hyperventilating. He did not have the Bloody Rose with him, but he did have the hunter charmed knife Yagari had given him last year for his eighteenth birthday. It was wickedly sharp and Zero had kept it with him ever since he had received it, but neither he nor Yagari had ever believed he would get a chance to spill pure vampire blood with it.

He reached into his inside pocket and removed the knife from its sheath, mesmerised by the oily glisten of its surface. Zero's hand was shuddering as he slowly lowered it to the weakened pureblood's exposed throat. The point was now resting against creamy skin. All Zero had to do was press down and it would be all over. The vampires would no doubt kill him, but his parents would finally be avenged…

_No! _He couldn't do this, he couldn't kill a man who had been nothing but kind to him! Not in this cowardly way when he couldn't even fight back. Zero realised that he was crying and he wiped the tears away roughly. He was so confused! What should he do? Who should he trust? Which side was the right one…?

Zero tried to slow his breathing and clear his head. The memories of Shizuka were screaming for attention, but even if this man was of the same race, he was not _her. _It was not Kaname who had so terribly killed his parents and stolen the life Zero should have had. Not Kaname's fangs that had stolen his very humanity…

No matter what had happened in the past, he could not do this now. He _could_ not and _would_ not kill a defenceless man. Shaking violently Zero sheathed his knife and held the pureblood in his arms again, shocked at just how close he had been to killing this man. But even in his emotional and unstable condition Zero couldn't stop himself from wondering just how in the world such a powerful man had gotten in such a state. At any other time he would have been killed for going as far as he had. What was going on here?

Zero sniffed as his tears began to cease, clutching the pureblood awkwardly. As he shifted his position he noticed something. There was a dark little thorn burrowed deep into the pureblood's skin on the back of his neck. The skin was puckered and inflamed around the tiny bit of splinter that remained above Kaname's flesh. Zero turned the man in his arms slightly, trying to get a closer look.

Zero recognised the little splinter with a surge of dread. He had seen them many times in the hunter camp. It was an featherless dart, infused with hunter poison. Yagari had made them whilst Zero watched, fascinated, explaining that they were a great weapon. The darted vampire could not cure themselves if they didn't know what ailed them, and the darts were almost undetectable unless you were specifically looking for them.

How this dart had made it into the pureblood's neck was suddenly clear. Everyone in Nine-Orchids had been talking about Lord Kuran disappearing off to the camp of the dissident hunters. The prince had probably been inspecting Zero's old home when he had been targeted. One of the hunters had evidently hung back despite the risks to stick him with this small but deadly weapon.

All Zero's earlier anguish was moot; he didn't have to do anything at all, and the prince would die anyway. Zero felt his anger resurface, but this time at the hunters he had grown up with. For some reason the cowardly methods they had used infuriated him, and he quickly lowered his hand to pluck the horrible thing from Kaname's flesh. He let out a hiss of pain; the poison in the dart was now fully activated and hadn't responded well to his mixed biology. It had felt like when he had slipped as a child and burned his arm on Yagari's cooking pot. The skin had blistered and burst and he'd wept for hours whilst Yagari had scolded him for his carelessness. This feeling was similar, but even more painful. Now Zero knew why Kaname had been acting strange as he had passed him in the hallway earlier. The man obviously had an unbelievably high tolerance for pain to have shown so little sign of what was bothering him. Zero once again felt that icy pain of indecision lance through him as he realised that he actually felt sorry for the prince. Whoever had stuck him with this was too spineless to fight him face to face, and Zero was frightened as his loyalties came back to smack him in the face once more. What was the right thing to do?

He took a deep breath, and even though he felt terribly like he was betraying Yagari and his parents, his mind was made up. He would do what he could for this vampire. There was no way for him to counteract the poison, but if he removed the source of the toxin soon enough Kaname might still have a chance. Zero leaned toward the pureblood's neck again and tried to pincer the broken end of the dart with his fingernails. Unfortunately he had bitten them too close to his skin and it was useless. Instead, he gripped it as best he could with the very tips of his fingers, and pulled hard. He felt the little splinter move, and dropped in on the floor as soon as he had removed the point from the prince's pale skin with a feeling of vast relief. His fingers looked raw and pink where they had been in contact with the poisoned wood. He checked the tiny wound to make sure he had got it all, then sat back on his haunches, right arm still supporting Kaname's head and shoulders.

The dart lay on the carpet almost a foot from where he sat, a tiny and harmless seeming length of wood that was barely half an inch long. Zero regarded it angrily as his adrenaline finally started to dwindle. He was once again trembling like a leaf caught in a gale, but at least he was feeling a hell of a lot calmer. Everything had happened so fast… in fact it was only about five minutes that he had spent with the pureblood. He had been so worked up that everything had felt ten times more intense than they normally would have.

Now it was over and Zero had made his decision. He felt giddy now for some unknown reason, and even though he might regret the path he had chosen later, for now he was certain he had done the right thing.

He looked down on the prince's flawless face, feeling strange. Why did this man make him feel so confused? He had spent years listening about how disgusting his kind were, but only a week with Kaname had started to change those opinions. How was that possible?

All he knew was that for some reason he really cared for this man, and he could no longer deny it. He felt a kind of loyalty to him, one that conflicted horribly with the loyalties he already had. Things were going to get seriously complicated, and Zero felt his emotions were all over the place. But some things couldn't be undone, and as Zero heard the fall of booted feet in the hallway, he knew that this was one of those times.

The realisation hit him that the past five minutes had changed his life. Only time would tell if it was for better or for worse.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks for reading! =3<em>

_I'm sorry if I did a bad job will this chapter, I will admit that I really struggled with it. I wanted to show Zero's conflicting thoughts, but I don't think I did a very good job… T_T _

_Once again, I'd love to hear what you think._

_x Tia _


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer : I don't own vampire knight._

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I really thought I had messed up, and it makes me so happy to get reviews like that!_

_=3_

* * *

><p>Zero held Kaname close, sliding his left arm under the pureblood's knees to lift him on to the sofa. The three vampires, Aido, Takuma and Masato, were watching him move the prince as though he were a leper, and might pass Kaname some type of filthy disease. Zero couldn't feel very defensive about it though, as he<em> had <em>just come within an inch of killing the man seconds before. As soon as the pureblood's slender body had been laid safely on the couch, Zero stepped away like a man putting his arms up before a gun barrel.

Aido rushed forward, immediately starting to inspect the pureblood with a kind of frantic worry. Zero glanced at Takuma, who was in a quiet argument with Masato. When he had noticed that the hunter was watching him, Takuma greeted him with a tired smile.

"Thank you Zero. You did a good job looking after Lord Kuran. Lets just pray that he makes a full recovery. Feel free to take the rest of the day off," Takuma said, turning immediately to the unconscious prince.

Zero recognised the dismissal and left the room slowly. He really wanted to stay by Kaname's side, but he knew he couldn't. Once he was in the corridor outside Zero paused, hoping to hear Kaname's prognosis. He breathed out in a silent gasp of relief when he heard Aido's panic shaken voice announce that Kaname would live, but could be confined to his bed for a few days. After hearing the good news Zero started on his way again, but the sounds of two voices in a hushed conversation caught his attention. The hunter strained to hear what they were saying.

"I can't believe you left Lord Kuran with a new recruit, especially one with such a… controversial past," one voice whispered. Zero thought it was Takuma.

"I just panicked! But it seems like he did no harm," Masato answered. This whole situation had really livened up his personality, Zero mused distractedly.

"Listen, I really don't trust that ex-human. I want you to keep an eye on him. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I'd rather not take any chances when it comes to Lord Kaname. He's a very trusting and kind person, and I'd hate to see that used against him…"

Zero, feeling guilty and uncomfortable, decided to head back to his dorm room. He was not tired, but felt emotionally wrung out and wanted to spend some time on his own before the repercussions of his actions would surely rise to haunt him.

When he opened the door to the common room he was relieved to see that Kyoko wasn't at her usual spot. He wasn't really in the mood to talk right now. He reached his bedroom and just flopped down on the bed. He lay there for some time, thinking of the past few minutes, and of holding the gorgeous pureblood in his arms… What sort of twisted fool was he?

The prince was beautiful, and had been kind to him, but what on earth had led Zero to feel this way? There must be something wrong with him to have such feelings for another man. In both hunter and vampire societies homosexuality was thought of to be something evil, and in Nine-Orchids it could actually be punishable by law. Zero had been brought up to think of such things and wrong and dirty.

Just how many of his peoples' rules could he break in only a few days?

And moreover, Yagari was expecting him to arrive back to the site of the disassembled hunter camp in just a few more days. Zero thought that his head would burst just thinking about it. How could he explain this? If Yagari had known about the poisoned dart he would want to know why the prince wasn't dead. What would he do if he knew that Zero was the one who had saved the pureblood from the toxin? Especially when Zero didn't even know how _he _felt about it. Why had everything become a jumbled mess after he had set eyes on the pureblood?

There was a loud knock at the door, and Zero found himself glad of the distraction. He rolled off of the bed and to his feet, opening the door to reveal Masato. The noble looked to be in a bad mood, but as far as Zero had seen, this was his normal expression.

"You've got to come back to the palace," he said, beckoning Zero to follow him.

"Why? Takuma told me to go home," Zero said. He had been hoping for Hitomi, not this sour faced git. The cheerful ex-human had a way of lifting his spirits and clearing his mind, something he sorely needed right now.

"Everyone who has been in contact with Lord Kaname has to be inspected."

"Have you been inspected?" Zero retorted. He didn't want to go back to the palace, and he was feeling quite queasy at the prospect of being examined. Zero was feeling very shaken, and would probably blurt something incriminating if questioned now.

"Yes, I have," Masato answered, scowling. "And I was cleared immediately. Its really just a formality to question the palace guards."

Zero found the whole thing very doubtful. Kaname's adviser did not trust him, and it was for good reason, Zero reminded himself. Hadn't he heard Takuma tell Masato to keep an eye on him? He had a strong suspicion that he was the _only_ one to be brought in for questioning. In a way that could actually be good news. It meant that Takuma probably just wanted a chance to sound him out; he had to know that the illness had begun at the hunter camp, if Zero's own speculations were correct. As long as he didn't put his foot in his mouth things shouldn't go too badly.

He followed Masato back to the palace with a growing sense of dread. The noble was leading him down a flight of stairs to the basement level, and, Zero guessed, the dungeons. Perhaps Takuma did not just wish to learn more about his intentions. Maybe he had decided to remove the problem altogether… The noble had seemed kind and easygoing, but he was obviously protective of his Lord. Kaname was the sort of man who tended to receive total and unwavering loyalty from his followers. It did not require too much of a stretch of the imagination to see Takuma ordering the hunter's death if he felt him a threat to the prince.

Still though, surely he could not be killed in such an uncouth method in Kaname's court. The reason he had felt a strange, and previously unexpected, loyalty to the prince was because he was such a gentle person. Zero had felt a grudging respect for that, which had managed to become a kind of admiration, even though he had not been here very long. But then again, not all of Kaname's people acted like he did. Hitomi's swollen and bruised face had taught him that.

He was led to a room that was, sure enough, a prison. There were two small cells, both of them empty, and a larger area before them that housed both a large table and chairs and a desk. Down here beneath the ground the summer heat was absent, and Zero felt a shiver pass through him. Masato sat down at one of the chairs and pushed out the one beside him, silently asking Zero to take a seat. Zero did, feeling nervous.

After a few awkward minutes the door opened to admit Takuma and Aido, a strange high blood vampire, and to Zero's dismay, a pair of stern palace guards wearing sheathed swords at their belts . Any of Zero's lingering thoughts that he was just being tested suddenly evaporated. Takuma looked grave and unhappy, Aido prickly and agitated. The high blood simply wore a look of bored disgust.

"I'm sorry about this Zero, but everyone who has been in contact with Lord Kaname must be investigated. You will be searched, and then questioned by a member of the council," here Takuma looked to the new high blood. "It will then be decided whether or not you brought any harm to the prince."

Zero nodded, and was about to answer when he was suddenly consumed with unbelieving horror. Takuma had said he would be searched, and the very first thing the guards would come across was a potent and very deadly hunter crafted blade sitting blatantly in his inside pocket. Zero was disgusted at himself. He had not really felt that he was in any serious danger before, but even so, it was an unbearably stupid oversight to walk into the palace without hiding the thing first. To wear such a trapped look screamed his guilt and Zero tried to keep his face impassive, aware that he was failing miserably.

The look on Takuma and Aido's faces spoke volumes. Zero didn't think either of them had been expecting to get anything on him, but his guilty look and faltering attempt to answer had been enough to change their minds. Shit.

There wasn't much he could do now. He would just have to wait, and cross his fingers that he would still be alive at the end of the day.

* * *

><p>Kaname swept through his palace, still a little bewildered to know that he had slept for two entire days and still woken to pain. In all his life he had never had to experience such a thing. No matter how bad an injury he had, by the time he woke his body seemed to have mended the problem. He would much rather spend more time in bed, but this whole unpleasant business with Zero needed to be sorted out immediately.<p>

He was mortified and disgusted that his illness had been leaked to the rest of the vampire court, but Takuma said that it could not have been helped. One of the other high bloods had come to discuss an important matter with him, but had instead caught a glimpse of something Kaname had hoped nobody would ever see; a weakened pureblood. His kind were thought of to be immoral and invincible, and although the Kuran name still commanded respect, the death of his parents had started rumours that the Kuran blood had become weak. Kaname was resentful that he had only helped those rumours grow, but he would not let such a thing stop him in his quest to rise to the top. He would just have to work even harder from now on.

Even though he knew that at the moment he should be focusing on his political reputation, Kaname found that the most upsetting thing about this entire situation was the death sentence that had been issued to the young ex-human Zero Matsuda. He had become fond of the ex-human in the few times they had met and could not believe that Zero had been found with a hunter weapon shortly after Kaname had almost died from hunter poison.

Takuma had never trusted him, but strangely enough it had been Takuma who had brought up the situation with Kaname. The prince could not really remember any of his journey back to Nine-Orchids from the hunter camp, but Takuma had assured him that he had been feeling unwell during that time. Zero could simply not have been responsible, and Takuma had told Kaname that he had used the excuse of an investigation to find out more about the enigmatic young man. However, the discovery of a potentially lethal hunter weapon on his person had lead to his imprisonment, and shortly after, his death sentence.

Takuma had been upset at his blunder. He had only been trying to find out about the hunter in an attempt to keep his friend safe, but had never intended that the ex-human be killed. If Zero had been a born vampire he would have had the right to a trial, but the vampire elders did not hold the same views as Kaname. In the eyes of his people, Kaname was an over the top liberal and the changes that he was trying to bring about were not popular with very many of the other high bloods, especially the older ones. If Kaname managed to make it to the throne, the first thing he would discard was this whole biased 'justice' system.

But all of this still did not explain why Zero had a _hunter_ weapon. Kaname had used his blood status to get an interview with the condemned young man, and hopefully he would hear the real reason from the ex-human's own mouth. He was starting to wonder if Takuma was right to be suspicious, even if he was currently very remorseful about getting Zero into such a serious situation.

Kaname descended the steps to the dungeons with more than a little pain. The poison was thankfully being eliminated by his strong pure blood, but small traces still remained. Kaname was not going to let his discomfort show. He refused to fuel the thoughts of his weakness.

He was led to Zero's holding cell by a surly looking guard. The young ex-human was laying on his side on the one of the two pallet beds with his back to the cell front. The guard walked to the cell, opening it with a doubtful expression.

"Are you sure you want to do this? He could be dangerous." At the guard's words, the silver haired vampire stirred, turning to get a better look. His lilac eyes met Kaname's, and he pushed himself up awkwardly. Kaname saw that both his wrists were cuffed behind his back.

"I'm sure," Kaname replied. "And take those cuffs off of him. I hardly think they're necessary when you already have him behind bars."

"Lord Kuran! They were only placed on him to ensure your safety. I don't think it would be a good idea to remove them," the guard answered, looking shocked and uncomfortable at the pureblood's words.

"Are you trying to imply that a pureblood cannot look after his own welfare? You answer to the Kuran name, so take those things off of him and leave me alone to question him," Kaname said aloofly, carrying more than a hint of arrogance into his tone. He really could not be bothered with this man.

"But, Lord Kuran-!"

"Just do as I say!" Kaname said, his voice full of righteous authority.

"Yes my Lord," the guard said, looking extremely unhappy as he carried out his orders. As he walked into the cell, Zero stood off the pallet bed, allowing the guard to unlock his cuffs. The pureblood walked into the cell after the guard left, sitting opposite Zero on the other little prison bed that occupied the cell.

Zero perched himself on the bed he had been lying on when Kaname arrived, looking nervous and unhappy. His silver hair was messy and unkempt, and the ex-human ran a hand through his untidy locks self-consciously. Now that they were sitting across from each other the ex-human was refusing to meet his gaze.

"Zero, what's going on? Takuma informed me of your situation, and I want to help you, but you need to tell me what happened two days ago." Zero nodded at his words, but did not raise his miserable violet eyes from the ground. "Why were you carrying a hunter weapon, Zero?"

"I'm sorry, Lord Kuran," Zero said, his voice hoarse from lack of use this past two days. "I took it with me when I escaped from the hunter camp."

"Why? A weapon like that would be of little use against a hunter, and if they got their hands on it they could easily use it against you," Kaname said, puzzled, and wondering if Takuma was right to distrust the young man.

"Because… because I really didn't trust vampires. I wanted a weapon to use against _you…"_ the silver haired ex-human's voice was anguished.

Kaname felt like someone had doused him in cold water. Had he been wrong? Had the ex-human made a fool out of him? Had Zero actually tried to _kill_ him?

"Please listen to me, Kaname! I - I mean, Lord Kuran!" Zero finally met his gaze, and his beautiful silvery purple eyes were glimmering with unshed tears. "I was scared to come here. You don't know what its like to have your family destroyed by a vampire! To have your very humanity ripped from you, and to know that your parents' death was nothing more than part of a sick game! I didn't trust vampires, but if you had seen what I'd seen, then maybe you'd understand…" Zero was trembling, voice and expressive eyes pleading for Kaname to understand.

Kaname did understand, a lot more than the poor ex-human could guess. Kaname felt his heart break as he realised that Zero had gone through the very same trauma that he had. Shizuka had been a hideous, disgusting creature that had tried to corrupt everything around her. Thankfully she had not succeeded completely. There had always been those that had stood against her, and Kaname's parents had been the strongest of those people. But the destruction she had wrought was horrific. So many lives had been changed because of her sadistic games. Kaname, Hitomi, and now Zero… She had destroyed so much…

"I do understand, Zero," Kaname answered. Even through the distress evident on the boy's face, Kaname noticed the look of stubborn annoyance. "Shizuka killed my mother and father, Zero. I _do _understand."

The ex-human's expression was full of disbelieving surprise, his earlier anger entirely wiped away. Kaname had surprised himself. He really felt for the silvered haired young man, who had been left horribly adrift in a sea full of enemies, not feeling like he belonged with hunters, humans _or_ vampires. But that did not explain why he had felt the need to defend himself in the boy's eyes. Perhaps he was just unhappy that the ex-human had lumped him into the same group as the evil bitch Shizuka… But Kaname knew that this wasn't true. Something about Zero evoked strong emotions within Kaname, and he found himself really wanting the ex-human to feel the same way about him. He wanted Zero to know that they had both been through the same grief, caused by the same person.

"K-Kaname, I mean Lord Kuran-" Zero began, looking confused and miserable.

"Just call me Kaname," the pureblood answered. Zero nodded. "But before you say anything else, just tell me… Were you responsible for the attempt on my life?" Kaname didn't know what he would do if Zero said he was.

"No! That wasn't me, it was one of the hunters!" Zero exclaimed. Kaname rose one eyebrow at the comment, listening as the younger vampire explained how he had saved him from the poisoned dart.

"Let me see your hand," Kaname said softly. Zero looked uncomfortable after his admission. Kaname got the feeling that the boy was naturally a very shy person, and that their extremely personal and emotional talk was very awkward for him. But he also felt that Zero was a very sincere person, and his story was amazing. Kaname was quite stunned at how things had came about.

He took Zero's callused hand into his own, leaning a little across the tiny space between the bunks they sat on. On the tip of Zero's index finger and thumb were two angry, red burn marks. His story was true…

"Why?" Kaname asked, awed. "Why did you save my life? You had every reason to hate my kind after what Shizuka did to you…"

Zero's sparkling eyes were intense. "But you aren't her… You've been so good to me, you gave me somewhere to live, a job, and you treated me like I was a real person. I - I… I'm really grateful to you… I had wanted to hate you when I arrived, but I just couldn't," he finished. Kaname had the feeling that the ex-human had been about to say something different, but had changed his mind.

Kaname was amazed. He could not believe that he had had such a strong impact on the other vampire, that he had somehow managed to erase a lifetime of hatred in such a short space of time. It made him feel elated and proud, and he found himself lost for words. He rose off of the pallet bed and laid his hand on Zero's shoulder.

"I'm so glad that you feel that way, Zero." The ex-human had shuddered when Kaname's hand touched his shoulder, and he stood up so they were face to face.

Before Kaname had time to register what was happening, Zero's lips were pressed against his in a shaky kiss. The ex-human's hands clutched at his shoulders, bringing him closer and kissing him harder. After only a few seconds the hunter pulled back, looking shocked at his own actions, as though he had made a huge mistake. Kaname didn't let him go, instead wrapping his own arms around Zero's waist and this time pressing his own lips to Zero's.

The ex-human trembled at his touch, then gripped him tightly and pressed his hot, wet tongue into Kaname's mouth. Kaname had never went this far with another man before, and he could not suppress the moan that rose within him. He happily pressed his own tongue back toward Zero's, and then allowed the ex-human to dominate his mouth. Kaname could feel his blood pounding. This was an experience that he had dreamed about, but had never expected to realize.

Zero's arms were an enticing weight for Kaname as they rested on his shoulders, and he allowed Zero to turn him and press his back against the stone wall at the back of the small cell. Being trapped between Zero's warm body and the cold stone sent thrills of excitement and a delicious feeling of fear through his entire body. He ran one hand through Zero's gorgeously messy hair as the ex-human continued to steal his breath away with his wonderful kisses, which caused both of them to emit small groans of enjoyment. Kaname felt his stomach lurch with joyful excitement. This was so amazing, he could get lost in Zero's kisses…

"Lord Kuran!" the loud shout tore through the moment, destroying it completely.

Both men pulled away from each other guiltily, shocked at the intrusion and at their own daring. Both were flushed and breathing heavily as the soldier knocked the door to the two prison cells.

"Is everything okay, Lord Kuran?" the soldier shouted through the wooden door.

"Yes! Everything is fine, I won't be much longer!" Kaname answered, silently cursing the man. At least his voice hadn't been shaking.

Zero face had flushed a bright pink and he had once again lowered his eyes to the floor tiles. It was obvious that he was feeling very remorseful of his earlier boldness. Kaname did not regret the kiss. It had been amazing for him, and probably for Zero too, although he was not sure the other man would ever admit it. Homosexuality may be considered disgusting by society, but Kaname had no problems with his own sexuality. However, he knew that the shy ex-human might think that he was wrong to have such feelings.

He hoped that things would not be awkward around Zero. He found himself with a lot of strong feelings for him, and wished to maintain a good relationship with him, even if it wasn't a physical one. Maybe Zero felt the same way about him, but just needed a little time. Either way, Kaname felt it best that he leave for now.

"Zero. I'm going to get you out of this, don't worry," Kaname reached out to rest his hand on Zero's shoulder, but the ex-human brushed it away gently. Kaname smiled sadly.

"I care for you, Zero," Kaname said as the young vampire sat back on his bed pallet, amethyst eyes locked on his knees. "I'll be back to see you later, when I have news."

Kaname walked to the cell door, and was just pulling it closed behind him when Zero's voice rang out.

"I… I care about you, too," was all he said, never looking up. To Kaname the words were wonderful. They meant that there was a chance that things may go further.

He opened the prison door, and watched the guard lock Zero's cell. The prince had a lot of planning to do if he was going to keep his promise and get the ex-human out of prison.

* * *

><p><em>I really had difficulty with this chapter as well, but after several attempts, this was the best of a very poor lot… I haven't ever written a kiss scene before and it didn't turn out like I wanted it to. How am I ever going to write a lemon if I can't even do a good job writing a simple kiss?<em>

_I suck… ='(_

_Please let me know what you think, and once again, I really appreciate your reviews. =3_

_x Tia_


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight._

_Once again, thank you so much to anyone who reviewed!_

_I don't have a lot of confidence in my writing, so it means a lot to me when I get reviews! =3_

* * *

><p>"I - I care for you, too," Zero answered quietly, surprising himself with his daring for the second time that night. He was just absolutely astounded that the stunning prince seemed to return his feelings.<p>

Zero heard the door close behind Kaname and rose his head shakily. He could not believe what had happened, or that he had been the one to initiate things, and he was still flushed. He had been so depressed and lonely since being brought to this dingy cell, and seeing Kaname had just evoked so many emotions in him.

He felt very glad that he had been honest with the pureblood at last. About some things, at least. It had been amazing to find that he and Kaname both shared the same past, even though Kaname had been brought up in what Zero had thought would be a sheltered environment. He felt like he understood the prince a lot better now, and he realised that he really _wasn't_ playing a game; he really was such an amazing person, as unbelievable as that seemed. And that wonderful, sweet, caring man had actually said that he cared for _Zero_. It was astounding.

Zero lay back on his hard, uncomfortable bed, feeling his stomach flutter with excited butterflies. He heard the door slam again. The high squeaking of chair legs shortly afterwards told him that it was just the guard coming back in. Zero felt quite angry at him. He had interrupted his moment with the pureblood.

It was shocking how things had changed in the past twenty-four hours. Not long ago he had been in a state of numb horror, contemplating his own death. And now all he could think of was the kiss he had shared with Kaname Kuran. He found that even though he had been brought up to think of homosexuality as something dirty, now that he had actually kissed another man, held another man in his arms, he just could not think of it that way. Others might think his feelings were wrong, but just as his initial prejudice for vampires had not held up to close scrutiny, neither could his intense feelings for Kaname still seem wrong.

Zero's mouth still tingled with the lingering taste of the pureblood's lips, a beautiful cocktail of mint and something else, something delicious and exotic… Zero found himself wanting to hold Kaname again, to feel the heat of his body so close…

_x_

Zero stretched uncomfortably, trying to get rid of the pains in his back. He had grown extremely fond of sleeping on a mattress, something he had never done before leaving the camp, and this hard pallet was a horrible contrast. As he sat up, trying to blink the sleep from his eyes, he realised that he still held the same optimistic views as he had last night. He had half expected to wake up feeling guilty, and he did feel a little like that, but he did not regret the kiss he had shared with Kaname. He desperately wished that he could be totally honest with the prince, even though he knew that it would be a bad idea. Kaname had not bothered to hide the hatred that he had of the hunters.

Zero was growing tired of lies. It seemed that every time he opened his mouth he was lying to someone he cared about. However, he knew that if he just came out and told the whole truth he would end up dead. The vampires would probably go right ahead and execute him, even if Kaname still wanted to protect him. If he somehow did manage to get out of Nine-Orchids alive, he had no illusions that Yagari would let him back into the hunter group. They would probably try to kill him too.

But admitting his feelings last night had been wonderful. Zero did not want to harm the bond he now felt with Kaname, and though it would mean lying to the man he was starting to really care for, he told himself that as soon as the time was right he would tell him everything. About his hunter blood, about his loyalties to the hunters, _everything_.

But what about Yagari? What would Zero tell _him_? Yagari had as good as raised him, protected him from the harsh reactions of the other hunters after he had been turned. Zero's parents had died when he was young, and though he still held a fierce love for them in his heart, he had now come to think of Yagari as his father…

He did not want to let the others down, but he knew that it would be wrong for them to keep attacking the vampires. Zero wished that he could just tell them that there was no revenge to be had here. The vampires who had hurt and tormented his people during Shizuka's reign were no longer present in Nine-Orchids. They had been driven out by the firm and fair hand of the Kuran house.

All the hunters were achieving with their raids was to further the bad blood between the two races. Zero wished that he could show Yagari the side of vampire society that he had seen so far. Kaname had been through the same situation as most of those in the hunter camp. If only they could focus on what they had in common, instead of on their differences. Such understanding from either side would not come easily, but perhaps it wasn't impossible…

He would tell Yagari that he could not kill the pureblood, and that they would have to approach things from a different angle. His master would be extremely angry at him, so perhaps Zero would have to bend the truth again. But it surely it wasn't a bad thing to lie if something good came of it?

Things were still complicated, and Zero was lying a lot more than he wanted to, but now that he had made up his mind to honour both loyalties as best he could, at least things seemed less confusing in his mind. Kaname was amazing, and Zero felt great that the prince seemed to feel the same way about him. He was a little worried that Kaname would regret what had happened between them, but the pureblood _had _told him that he cared for him first.

There was a knock at the prison door, causing both Zero and his guard to jump. Zero felt his stomach lurch in excitement and anxiety as he saw the stunning pureblood enter the room. Kaname was dressed in a beautiful white suit that complemented his shinning ebony hair and garnet eyes. Zero couldn't help his eyes from scanning the man in appreciation whilst the pureblood spoke to the guard. When Kaname turned a glittering smile to him, Zero tore his eyes away, embarrassed.

"Zero, I have very good news! Your execution has been suspended!" Kaname said warmly.

Zero felt like the ground had opened under his feet. Just suspended? Was he still to be killed, after a long and terrible wait?

Kaname saw his less than overjoyed expression, and hurried to finish his news. "There will be a trial later today, and your sentence will be decided there. But don't worry, you've got a very powerful defence. Or at least you will, when I speak up for you," the prince finished, looking proud. In actual fact, he _was_ very happy with his work. Ex-human's were not considered worth the effort of a trial, but Kaname had pushed his weight around a little. With him standing in defence of the young ex-human, Zero was as good as saved. Kaname hoped that this would be a good precedent for any low bloods to be arrested in the future.

"You're going to speak for me? Thank you, Kaname," Zero said, relieved. Now that the pureblood was actually in the same room again, he found himself blushing and feeling awkward.

"No. I should be thanking you. You saved my life," Kaname said sincerely. The guard at the table gasped audibly, but both Kaname and Zero ignored him. Kaname was ashamed that he had almost died, and really did not want everyone to know of his weakness, but after the trial it would be common news. He would never be able to keep it a secret. Kaname could not feel too bad about it though, as it had helped him to get closer to Zero.

"And now you're saving mine," Zero said, smiling self-consciously.

"So we're even," Kaname smiled back. "I'm sorry, but I have to go and prepare for the trial. I'll see you later."

Kaname left, leaving Zero alone with the guard again.

* * *

><p>Kaname had not been able to stop himself from smiling around Zero, even though he knew that he should not broadcast his feeling for the ex-human too obviously. If it was discovered that he had feelings for a low blood, let alone a <em>man, <em>then those nobles that did not like Kaname's ideals could legally have the pureblood excommunicated, or even killed. The laws of Nine-Orchids were far from fair, but Kaname needed to keep his feelings hidden until he wore the crown. Only then could he begin to change the rules.

Still though, he had been very surprised that Zero had acted so calmly, if a little shyly, around him this morning. He had expected that the ex-human would be contrite over his bold actions last night, although it was the last thing that Kaname wanted him to feel. The kiss they had shared had haunted Kaname's thoughts ever since.

Kaname knew that he was jumping to conclusions, but couldn't help himself. He knew that Zero might just have been grateful that he had saved his life. Perhaps he really _did _regret their kiss… but Kaname couldn't really believe that. The look of embarrassed shyness that Zero had worn, the warm, excited way that those gorgeous lilac eyes had glittered… No, Kaname was pretty sure that the younger vampire felt the same stirrings inside that he did.

Kaname realised that he had a happy smile on his face, and tried to look serious as Takuma came back into the room with a stack of books. He and Kaname had been reading through a lot of the old laws pertaining to the trials of ex-humans, trying to find something that they could use in the trial. Kaname knew that his blood status would ensure the outcome of the case, even if he hadn't had a persuasive argument. However, Kaname found himself unwilling to bend the rules any more than he had to, even if those very rules were hideously biased.

He had rubbed quite a few of the high blood nobles the wrong way just to ensure that Zero was allowed a trial at all. He didn't want to exacerbate things anymore than was necessary. It did seem like a hopeless search, though. All of the laws had been made at a time when ex-humans were nothing more than toys, there to service nobles with their blood and their bodies. Reading such things grated on Kaname, but only increased his determination to avenge his parents and create a fairer world.

"Hey, Kaname! I think I've found something we can use!" Takuma exclaimed. Kaname knew that the noble was ashamed that he had almost been responsible for Zero's death, and he was going to great pains to help prepare for the ex-human's trial.

Kaname leaned over the desk, peering at the passage that Takuma was pointing to. A smile spread over the pureblood's lips again. Perhaps he wouldn't have to break any laws after all…

* * *

><p>"Aido! I've got great news!"<p>

Hitomi knocked the noble's office door again, smiling as she imagined the blonde's expression as he heard her voice. She had been coming to see him every so often, now that Zero was imprisoned. Aido had been there when Zero had been arrested, and Hitomi had wanted to know what was going on.

"Why do you keep coming here?" he asked, pulling the door open with an expression of annoyance. "I told you before to leave me alone!"

Hitomi pushed past him, entering his office and perching on the end of his desk. She was not normally so insolent, but she just couldn't help herself around Aido. He was so delightfully easy to wind up.

"W-What do you think you're doing! Get off of my desk!" Aido stammered, turning a pretty shade of pink.

Hitomi purposefully ignored the remark, finding the noble quite funny as usual. He never knew how to react around her.

"Lord Kaname managed to get a trial for Zero! I was on guard duty in the palace when I heard, and I came right here! Oh, and Lord Kaname's going to stand in Zero's defence! You don't have to worry anymore," she said, smiling. Aido had been extremely worried about Zero, despite the mutual dislike they held for one another. He had been upset that he had been the one to diagnose Kaname as being inflicted with a type of hunter poison, shortly before Zero had been found in the possession of a hunter blade. At first he had suspected the ex-human too, but Takuma had quickly informed him that Kaname had been poisoned on his way from the dissident hunter camp.

"Really?" Aido asked, brightening. "I- I mean, not that I care. But can you believe how amazing Lord Kaname is? Helping out a 'D like that… He's so noble and forgiving!"

"What do you mean?" Hitomi asked, frowning. "Zero hasn't done anything wrong. There isn't anything _to_ be forgiven! But I know what you mean about Kaname. Lord Kuran is one of a kind, alright."

She slipped off of the desk and grabbed Aido's arm. "Come on! If we leave now then might be able to watch the trial."

Aido shook her off, "I don't think so! A 'D wouldn't be welcome in the court!"

Hitomi ignored his harsh words, gripping his shirt again and dragging him behind her. Aido was grumbling, but he didn't really seem to be put out at all as he followed behind her.

* * *

><p>Zero was led to the court room, feeling a nervous leaden knot settle in his stomach. He trusted Kaname, but he still felt unhappy about the prospect of standing in front of so many strange high bloods. He had been cuffed again, but this time his hands had been secured from the front, which was a lot more comfortable and left his hands more accessible to him.<p>

He was led, much to his annoyance, by Masato. The brown haired man acted just as aloof as ever. Nobody would guess that they had met before now, and Zero didn't even bother trying to start up a conversation with him. He was brought to a mahogany stand, in view of everyone in the court. Most people were not looking at him, however. Almost every gaze was fixed on the stand to Zero's immediate right, and Zero didn't blame them.

In that box stood the magnificent figure of Kaname Kuran, pureblood prince of vampires, dressed in the beautiful white suit he had worn this morning, the fine material helping to enhance his already impressive form. Kaname met his gaze and winked, allowing him to see a delicious, pointy-toothed smile. Zero felt his heart leap painfully in his chest. How had that amazing, exquisite man be interested in someone as plain as Zero?

The trial began with a young high blood announcing the elders, a bunch of attractive but unimpressed looking vampires. Zero began to feel a little uncertain. Despite the confidence Kaname had shown, Zero could not see these people letting him live if they could help it. Any time that one of the elders' eyes alighted on him, they always showered him with a deep well of disgust. Zero looked back at Kaname, who had now been joined by Takuma and Aido. Kaname saw the uncertainty in the ex-human's expression, and merely shook his head. Takuma leaned forward to whisper something in the pureblood's ear, and then the two smiled. That was reassuring, right?

One of the elders stood up and took the podium in the centre of the room. "Ex-human Zero Matsuda, has been accused of treason. It is said that he attempted to assassinate the pureblood prince, Lord Kaname Kuran. Is this true?"

Zero, quivering with nerves now, opened his mouth to answer but was spared the bother.

"That is far from the truth," Kaname's voice echoed out over the large chamber. "This young man actually _saved _me from assassination."

There was a loud murmur rumbling through the room at his words. Kaname continued to tell the court of how Zero had prevented his death. At the end of his speech most people were looking shocked or wore an expression of disbelief. The elders in particular seemed less than impressed.

"That is certainly a pretty tale, Lord Kuran. But you have not explained why he was holding the knife in the first place," the man at the podium said, after the pureblood had finished. "Have you got an answer for that, my Lord?"

"The reason for his possession of the knife is a simple one. He had been mistreated so often that he found it hard to trust in others. But I really don't feel that it's relevant. Nobody was hurt through this young man's actions, and there are no grounds for his imprisonment or execution," Kaname spoke the last word like it disgusted him.

"My Lord, far be it from me to contradict a pureblood, but that level of evidence has never been needed in a case like this. The man was accused, and has been found with a very offensive weapon. No other requirements are needed to prove the guilt of one of his kind. You would be going against your people's age old laws to claim otherwise, and someone as refined as yourself would never behave in such a way." The vampire smiled a slow, deliberate smile at Kaname. He did not even bother to look at Zero at all.

"You are right, Elder Watanabe, I would never dream of breaking such old rules." Kaname's had spoken quite mildly, and the elder at the podium, Watanabe, looked quite put out that his words had not evoked a more extreme reaction. It seemed things were not going as the sour faced noble had thought.

"But is there maybe something that you are forgetting?" Kaname continued serenely. "You see, my adviser brought one case to my attention. It was quite similar, and actually prompted the creation of new laws. New for their time, of course. I believe that they are actually five hundred years old now."

Watanabe blanched. It seemed he was familiar with the case Kaname had brought up, and was not happy about its mention.

"Ah, I see that you realise the case I speak of, and I'm sure that you notice the relevance between that situation and this one."

"I-I think I know the one you refer to, My Lord," Watanabe replied falteringly, a hint of ill concealed anger flittering across his face. "But, Lord Kuran, surely you don't think that this is the same thing? I mean, the defendant in that case was a noble! This creature is nothing more than a mongrel dog!"

Zero watched the exchange full of confusion. He had been chagrined at first, when he realised that as an ex-human he was not supposed to talk at his own trial. But now he was glad to have the pureblood speak for him. He didn't know how he would have reacted if he had to respond to that arrogant bastard Watanabe.

"Oh, but Elder! The laws do not mention that the defendant must have been a _born_ vampire. They simply proclaim that _any_ vampire to save the life of a pureblood is to be knighted. And as you know, there must be very solid proof to order the imprisonment of a Vampire Knight. And as I plain to recruit him as a Kuran knight, that will make him even less vulnerable. I believe that this case is closed," Kaname's voice had grown more cheerful as he had went on, while Watanabe had gotten more and more furious.

Zero was frozen with shock. He had come here hoping to regain his life and his freedom, now it seemed that he would have that and more than he had imagined. If Kaname was right, Zero could end up in one of the most coveted positions in Nine-Orchids.

"Lord Kuran! Are you sure you want to do this? This man has no worth at all!" Watanabe sounded frustrated and confused.

"I don't believe that the heir of the Kuran House needs to explain himself to anyone. What I plan is entirely legal, so what does it matter?" Kaname had become regal and aloof at the elders words.

Watanabe sighed loudly, but seemed to concede that there was no way for him to stop the pureblood's decision. "Of course, Lord Kuran. The ex-human Zero Matsuda has been cleared of his charges."

There was another loud ripple of conversation spreading through the vampires present, and the court began to disintegrate slowly. Zero looked around, astounded at how things had gone. But what happened now?

Masato, who had stood behind him during the entire proceedings, grabbed his arms and unlocked his cuffs. Zero rubbed were the bracelets had been chafing his skin, wondering if he was supposed to leave yet. The door Zero had entered through burst open, revealing a very pleased pureblood. Zero found his face splitting into an answering grin.

"Wow… Kaname, Thank you!" Zero said, his usual shyness eclipsed by his joy at having been cleared. He found that he wanted to pull the pureblood into a bear hug and only just restrained himself.

"Hmm, no need to thank me. Seeing the smug satisfaction wiped off of Watanabe's face was enough," Kaname said, smiling. "But I think it would be best if you went home right now. I'm sure this whole situation had worn you out."

When Masato and the rest of those in the large hall had cleared, Kaname leaned closer to him, causing Zero's heart to speed up. "I'm really sorry, Zero, but it would not be good for us to been seen together right now. People will be suspicious enough at my intervention on your case, and though I really care for you, nobody can know. At least not yet…" Kaname seemed to be feeling guilty about his words, but although it made him feel a little sad, Zero understood. Society would never accept them as a couple.

The pureblood was standing so close to him, and Zero could not stop himself from reaching out to run his hand through Kaname's glittering black locks. Zero loved the pureblood's long hair, and how good it felt between his fingers. Kaname leaned closer and pressed his warm forehead against Zero's. Once again, Zero felt his body acting on its own. He kissed Kaname's soft lips, unable to hold it in any longer. This kiss was different, sweeter and more gentle, but still very delicious as Kaname's lips moulded against his.

Kaname's hands slipped to Zero's waist as he pulled away. "Please, come to my quarters tomorrow. We need to discuss your upcoming knighthood, no one would find it strange." Kaname treated him to another bright smile.

Zero found an embarrassing, girly blush spread across his cheeks at Kaname's words and cheeky grin. "Of course, Kaname."

He followed the pureblood back through the thick doors, and was immediately greeted by a pair of slender arms wrapping around his waist.

"Oh, Zero! What happened? They wouldn't let me in!" Hitomi exclaimed, leaning back to get a better look at him. "I was so worried about you," she said, sapphire eyes shining.

"Ah, hello Hitomi," Kaname said. "Perhaps you should go back to your dorm house, and bring your friend up to speed, Zero. But I would still appreciate it if you came to see me tomorrow."

"Of course," Zero answered. He was a little put out that he would not get a chance to be alone with Kaname yet, but it would be nice to catch up with Hitomi. She was his friend and it touched him that she had been concerned for him. He and Hitomi said goodbye to Kaname, and headed back to Kyoko's boarding house together.

* * *

><p><em>I hope you liked it! <em>

_Once again I found myself struggling, and I actually tried to write this chapter four times. I wasn't sure about this one, but I finally decided to post this chapter despite my misgivings. _

_Please let me know what you think! =3_


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight._

* * *

><p>Zero held the Bloody rose in his hands, contemplating what he should do with it now. He certainly did not want to be found with another hunter weapon, after the disastrous results of the last time. He also did not want Kaname to find out. He had never told the prince about the gun, and if Kaname found out he would feel like he couldn't trust Zero. Which, of course, he shouldn't, Zero reminded himself.<p>

After some deliberation, Zero decided that the gun would have to stay in his desk drawer a little longer despite the risk. He had briefly considered returning it to Yagari, but realised how foolish it would be to arm his master and then tell him that he was turning traitor. Zero didn't really feel like he was, but knew that Yagari would surely feel that way. Perhaps the best option was to take it out somewhere secluded and just burry it, but Zero felt a small pang of unease at such an idea. The weapon may seem like a burden to him right now, but it was still a finely crafted gun, and he could not bring himself to do it.

Zero sighed, closing the desk drawer on the offending item. He stretched, thinking how good it had been to sleep in a proper bed again. It was one of the many parts of civilisation that Zero had swiftly grown fond of. He poked through his closet, thinking on how many creature comforts were considered necessities for these city people.

Back in the camp, Zero's little tent house had only one piece of furniture, a small bed that consisted of a mattress on the floor that was covered with a thick blanket that reeked of horses. Yagari had made it for him, stuffing the rough material of a large grain sack with hay to serve as a makeshift mattress. Zero had always found it comfortable, but now that he saw what others had, it seemed lumpy and itchy. He had also owned only two pairs of clothes back then, and had to wash them in the stream. Here, he had bought three new outfits already, and was shocked at the beautiful materials they were made of. He didn't have to wash them at all, either, but just left them in the laundry room and Kyoko would wash, dry and fold them.

He looked through these outfits now, feeling nervous. He was going to see Kaname today, and they would finally get a chance to be alone. Zero wanted to look good when he turned up, but he really had no idea about fashion. It was something that he had never needed to know about, and even though Kaname probably thought of him as an uneducated country boy that lacked sophistication, Zero really did not want to further that impression.

He finally settled on one, a pair of black trousers with a crisp white shirt. It seemed quite smart to Zero's untrained eye, and he hoped that the pureblood would think so too. He dressed himself self-consciously, and then tried to tidy up his hair a bit.

He gazed at himself in the mirror, shocked at how different he looked. He could barely see the old him, the scruffy face that he used to see reflected up at him from the stream's crystal surface. He knew that he could not compare to the pureblood, who had probably been born into moving with an elegant grace, but Zero was still happy at his own transformation.

He pushed the door open and saw Hitomi emerge from the end of the corridor. She seemed surprised to see him.

"What are you doing up so early?" she asked. "You don't have to work today."

Zero felt a little uncomfortable at her words. Was he being too eager? Kaname hadn't mentioned a time, and Zero had figured that it would be better to be too early than too late. But maybe that sent out the wrong signals? Oh well, he was up now, and there wasn't much else that he needed to do yet.

"I'm going to the palace," he answered.

"Oh, so am I! We should go together," Hitomi smiled.

Zero liked Hitomi, but he really hoped that she wasn't planning on sticking to him once they reached the palace. He did not want to be interrupted in his time with the prince.

"I'm actually going to talk to Kaname, I mean Lord Kuran, about getting knighted," Zero said, flushing as he accidentally left out Kaname's title. He didn't want anyone to know just how close that he and the pureblood had gotten.

"Oh, wow! I still can't believe it, though," she said as they started down the stairs together. "I mean, you haven't been here long and you've already become a knight. I'm a little jealous. Oh, and Kaname is your friend so he wouldn't mind you speaking about him without his title. He's cool and laid back like that."

"I'm not a knight yet," Zero said awkwardly, blushing. Despite her amiable tone, Zero knew that she really should be annoyed. She was a better fighter than him, had been in Nine-Orchids for much longer (even if it wasn't all pleasant) and had been friends with the pureblood since before Zero had even heard of him. By rights, she should be the one getting the title and social status.

"Oh, it should only be a few more days, and then it'll be official. It's a lot more glamorous than the reason I'm going. Me and Daisuke are on duty there today again," she explained.

They both greeted Kyoko as they passed her sitting in her usual spot, and then made their way from the boarding house to the grander part of the city. Zero was glad of Hitomi's company. Nine-Orchids was huge, and to Zero it resembled nothing more than an oversized maze. He had learned how to get from the boarding house to the palace on his own, but his route took him through quite a few other streets. Zero was too afraid of getting lost to look for a shorter road. Hitomi had already discovered all the shortcuts Nine-Orchids had to offer, and when Zero was with her she would lead him using roads and passages that he had never noticed before. Zero envied her casual sense of direction, and was glad of her knowledge.

They were heading down one of Hitomi's little hidden routes when she suddenly stopped. Zero turned, confused.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Oh, its nothing. I just thought I saw someone," she smiled again. "I don't really know why I stopped."

"Who did you see?" Zero asked.

"It doesn't matter," Hitomi replied, and started down the narrow alley again.

"Oh come on, you can't just say that and then not tell me who it was."

"Well, I'm not sure if it _was _him, but I thought it was Masato. You know, the boring guy that works at the palace? I don't know why it struck me as strange. He's probably just headed to the palace too," Hitomi shrugged, looking slightly embarrassed.

"It _is _strange," Zero replied. "We're ex-humans, so we live in the common part of Nine-Orchids, but he's a noble. If he was headed to the palace he would be going from the posh area."

"Hmm… Maybe he isn't as bad as we thought. He must have a low blood friend or something," Hitomi said thoughtfully.

"I really doubt that," Zero snorted. "I get the feeling he doesn't like low bloods."

"I got that impression, too," Hitomi answered. "But why else would he be around here?"

"I don't know," Zero answered. He deeply disliked Masato, and he didn't trust him. At court yesterday he had learned that Kaname was part of a small minority in the high blood court. Most of the nobles were still scathing towards ex-humans, and Zero didn't think that Masato was an exception. Maybe he was also jealous of Zero's new found position… Zero decided he would have to be careful around him.

* * *

><p>Kaname awaited Zero's arrival with excitement. He had been deeply relieved when Takuma had excused himself in order to spend a little time with Shiki. Kaname loved Takuma like a brother, but he was glad that he was gone. For one, it had been a while since the two nobles had a chance to spend time together, which made Kaname feel guilty about keeping them apart. And secondly, of course, he wanted to be alone when Zero got here.<p>

Although he trusted Takuma with his life, Kaname had not told him about the tentative relationship forming between the pureblood and the ex-human. He did not want to tell anyone without Zero's consent, as there would be ramifications for _both _of them if news of their relationship got out. But even if Zero had given him permission, Kaname still wasn't sure if he'd tell Takuma.

His adviser knew that Kaname fancied the ex-human, but so far Kaname didn't think that he had any idea that he had actually kissed Zero, and went as far as telling him that he cared for him. He knew that Takuma would be annoyed if he found out. It was obviously not that he was homophobic, but that he was incredibly overprotective of his friend. Kaname knew that Takuma, although contrite about the accident involving Zero, still did not feel that the ex-human was trustworthy. Takuma had only felt safe confessing his love for Shiki because they had known each other since childhood and had built a strong level of trust. It was a sad truth, but the fact still remained that if you were in love with a member of the same gender in Nine-Orchids, you had to do your utmost to keep it a secret.

That was why today would be special. It would be wonderful to be able to talk openly with Zero, to be able to say what he wanted to say without worrying who had heard, and what political repercussions he had earned. Also, Kaname couldn't help thinking, it would be the perfect opportunity to steal another kiss from Zero.

There was a quiet, almost tentative knock at the door, and Kaname knew immediately that it was Zero. He had turned up earlier than Kaname had expected, and Kaname felt happy that the ex-human was probably as excited to spend time together as he was. Kaname walked to the door and opened it.

Kaname stood back, greeting the other vampire and letting him enter. When he caught sight of what the ex-human was wearing he had to work hard to suppress a smile. Kaname thought he looked absolutely ravishing in this get up. The only things Kaname had seen him in had been the rags the hunters had dressed him in and his prison outfit. Zero had looked attractive even with that unattractive garb. But now he looked quite stunning, the clothes he was wearing were in perfect style in Nine-Orchids, if a little casual. But Kaname liked the casual style on Zero, and enjoyed the open collar of his shirt especially.

Now that they were alone, Zero was looking adorably shy again. He was standing beside the long mahogany table, seemly uncertain of how to act.

"So, um, is this where you live?" the ex-human asked, lilac eyes finding Kaname's hesitantly.

"No," Kaname answered. "This is the room where I conduct my business. As you can see, I've had the door repaired." Kaname smiled, a little uncomfortable with the memory of his own weakness. "But if you don't mind, we can go to my living quarters."

Kaname walked to the end of the long room, opening another large, thick wooden door. Zero followed him in, mouth open in awe. Kaname found the ex-human's expression cute, and a little funny. It was unlike the reaction Kaname would have gotten from any born vampire.

His quarters were much larger than most people's houses, and consisted of a huge living area, a spacious bedroom with an impressive en suite, and his own kitchen area. It was the suite of a noble, and considered by many as entirely unsuitable for a pureblood.

Kaname had refused the pureblood quarters and could not be persuaded to change his mind. He did not want to make a home in the rooms that his parents' murderer had inhabited. Still though, it was probably a lot grander than what Zero was used to, Kaname reminded himself.

They were now in Kaname's living area, which was conveniently placed right next to Kaname's business room. Kaname took a seat on one of the big, high quality sofa's that were placed around a large dark wood coffee table. Zero looked uncomfortable. It was obvious that he wasn't sure whether to sit beside the pureblood or across from him, so Kaname patted the seat beside him. He didn't want Zero to feel so uncertain around him, but he understood. Most people were uncertain in the presence of a prince.

Zero perched on the edge of the sofa cushion, putting his arm on the armrest and then removing it again. Kaname couldn't help but smile.

"Do you want some tea?" Kaname asked. He felt a little awkward too, but Zero was acting so nervous that he knew he would have to lead any conversation.

"Umm, yeah. Sure, thanks," Zero said.

Kaname got up and went into his kitchen to boil the kettle, making Zero's eyebrows rise. It _was _highly unusual for a pureblood to prepare his own food, but Kaname wouldn't allow the kitchen staff to prepare his food or drinks.

"Oh, do you want me to do anything?" Zero asked. "I figured you'd have someone to do it for you, or something…"

Kaname came back into the living area and set down the two steaming mugs of hot sweet tea carefully on the coasters placed on the coffee table.

"I haven't trusted anyone cooking for me since my parents died. A lot of people wished that Shizuka had taken out the entire Kuran family. And though there aren't many, there are still poisons that can affect a pureblood. Its safer to make my own food. There aren't many people I can trust."

"Oh… that's kinda sad," Zero said. "Back at the hunter camp I heard the hunters talk about you all the time. They said that you were pampered and got everything your own way, but its not really like that at all."

"If 'pampered' was the worst word they used to describe me then they're a lot less resentful than I thought," Kaname smiled. "But I guess I understand were they were coming from. I _am _pampered when it comes to material things, but it is very hard for a pureblood to find anyone they can trust. However, I feel like I am pampered in that aspect too."

"Really? But how can you say that, if it seems like everyone's out to get you?" Zero said. Now that they were having a proper discussion he seemed to feel more confident in talking to him.

"Well, most purebloods are lucky if they have even_ one_ person they can trust. Most of my kind, and Shizuka is a good example, rule by using fear. But I'm lucky; I have Takuma, Seiren, Aido, Kain… and now I have you," Kaname felt very self-conscious admitting something so personal, but he wanted Zero to know how much he meant to him.

Zero looked unhappy and uneasy at Kaname's words. "But how can you trust me when I lied to you?" he asked.

"I'm surprised that you have to ask, Zero," Kaname answered, smiling warmly. "You saved my life, even though you thought me to be a monster only days before. If I was in your position I don't know if I would have done the same thing. I will never forgive Shizuka for what she did, and if I thought someone was like her, I doubt I would care if they died…"

"But I realised just how different you are, Kaname. I never thought that there would be a pureblood who would treat a person like me, like, well, like a person," Zero said earnestly. "You're _nothing_ like the person who killed my parents, and yours, too. There isn't any way to get revenge by letting innocent people die."

Zero was such an sincere person, Kaname thought. It had been his exotic good looks that had gotten Kaname interested, but his beautiful personality had been the thing to pull Kaname in deeper.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did Shizuka kill your parents? I mean, they were purebloods too, so they were probably near invincible…" Zero seemed immediately sorry for asking such a question, but Kaname didn't really mind. It stung to think about his parents death, but it was a huge part of Nine-Orchids recent history, so Kaname heard the story many times. In fact, Zero was probably the only person who didn't know the reason.

"My parents were liberals, totally the opposite of Shizuka. They wanted to create a more equal world, but Shizuka only wanted to fulfil her own fantasies, no matter the cost. There were a lot of people who believed she should be allowed to do whatever she wanted because of the purity of her blood. Also, as I mentioned before, she inspired fear in almost everyone, and many were too afraid to cross her," Kaname explained.

"However, there were some who decided that she _must _be taken down, even if they lost their lives in the process. My parents lead that group, and long story short, they died in the last big battle with Shizuka, but they took that whore with them." Here Kaname knew that his voice was bitter, but he could not force his voice to be neutral.

"Shizuka had fed on countless numbers of our kind, effectively growing stronger and stronger until she was unmatchable in strength. It took both of my parents and a large number of nobles to bring her down," Kaname finished. He remembered that horrible day, with the rain coursing down and the sky a lifeless grey. His parents adviser at the time had come to the young pureblood, telling him of his parents heroic demise. At the time, Kaname had not cared how many people his parents had saved with their lives. All he cared about was the fact that he had been left alone, an orphan, and this man's talk of their _heroic _death had infuriated him.

After meeting people like Hitomi, however, he had started to understand why his parents had acted like they had. If they had not stopped Shizuka when they had she would be near unstoppable now. Kaname was immensely proud of his mother and father now, and he wished to avenge their ideals the best he could.

"I - I'm sorry," Zero said. "I should never have brought up such painful memories… But your parents must have been amazing people."

"Yes, they were. As I'm sure your parents were, Zero," Kaname felt like kicking himself. He had gotten into an upsetting and morose topic, and that was the opposite of what he'd wanted.

"But look at the time," Kaname said, glancing at a beautiful antique clock sitting on the mantelpiece. "I haven't had breakfast yet. What about you?"

Zero shook his head.

"Well then, I should make us something," Kaname said, getting up.

"No, Kaname. Its not fair to ask you to cook for me. Why don't we eat out somewhere?" Zero asked.

"I told you, Zero. I don't trust others to cook for me."

"But if we went somewhere that no one ever expected a pureblood to eat, then surely no one will have planted someone to poison you there. If your not convinced, then let me be your food taster," Zero said, smiling shyly.

"Hmm, where are you thinking?" Kaname answered thoughtfully.

_X_

Here, in this quaint little café, Kaname was pleasantly surprised at the change in Zero. He was so much more relaxed in this setting, perhaps because it was more familiar to him. The two had taken seats opposite each other at one of the tables, and had ordered sweet tea and pancakes. The only downside to this location was that they now had to watch how they acted and spoke to each other.

"Its nice here," Kaname commented.

"Yeah," Zero answered. "Hitomi showed me this place. You'll love the pancakes."

It was nice, Kaname decided, to eat out with Zero… kind of like a date. It was somewhere Kaname would never have chosen, but it was nice to eat somewhere with other people, yet not feel threatened. It was almost like seeing how things would be if he had not been born with pure blood.

It was lovely to sit here, chatting comfortably with Zero and eating pancakes that were indeed delicious. It was wonderful how openly Zero was talking to him now. He had almost totally come out of his shell. It had been a great idea of Zero's to come here for breakfast, he thought, and Kaname was glad that they were getting to know each other better.

After they finished, Zero was adamant that he pay the bill, and refused Kaname's money. As the two made their way back to the palace it was becoming harder and harder for Kaname to keep his feelings for the boy from showing.

Unfortunately, as soon as they reached Kaname's living room, Zero seemed to retreat a little. Kaname was determined not to let it happen. He loved it when Zero was just himself.

Kaname sat down once more on the sofa, and Zero sat near him, but seemed a little tense.

"Thank you for treating me to breakfast, Zero," Kaname said with a warm smile. "I really enjoyed myself today."

Zero blushed, and ran a hand through his hair in embarrassment, messing it up just adorably. "It wasn't much. I just think it's a nice little place, but I'm sure you've been to loads more posh places than that."

"But I liked it _because_ it wasn't posh. It was nice to be someone new for a little while. Besides, it was just great to spend some time with you," Kaname said, causing a pleased blush to spread over Zero's face again.

Zero was obviously uneasy receiving compliments, so Kaname decided to take the initiative. Feeling a thrill of excitement, Kaname leaned over and captured Zero's lips with his own. He felt a little afraid that Zero would reject the contact, but he didn't have to worry long.

One of Zero's hands strayed to Kaname's hair, tangling itself in the beautiful glistening strands, and the other slipped around Kaname's waist, pulling him a little closer. Kaname loved how Zero always ended up in control of their kisses, and though this kiss and the one they'd shared yesterday were tender and sweet, Kaname missed the aggression of their first kiss.

Kaname slowly parted his lip and pressed his tongue into Zero's warm mouth, tasting the lingering flavour of sweet tea. A beautiful shock of excited arousal tingled down Kaname's spine, as Zero immediately started battling him for dominance, pushing both of their tongues back into Kaname's mouth. Zero's hand tightened in Kaname's hair, pulling the pureblood closer as he explored the delicious heat of his mouth.

Kaname's hands slid up Zero's back, loving the feeling of the taut muscle hidden under his shirt, and lay back, pulling Zero with him. The position they were in, with Kaname lying on the sofa, and Zero's body pressing down on his, was immensely pleasing to both of them. Zero moved his legs, straddling the purebloods thighs, hand never leaving its place in Kaname's hair.

Kaname felt that he would pass out as Zero's hand slipped under his shirt, and he felt the slightly rough calluses on Zero's hands glide over his skin slowly. Kaname could not suppress a moan, and he ran his hands through Zero's hair in delight. Zero pulled out of the kiss, panting a little, eyes dilated with lust. Kaname almost went insane at the loss of Zero's perfect mouth over his. Suddenly Zero's head ducked, nipping at Kaname's throat and Kaname groaned at the sensual feeling.

Zero sucked hard at the flesh of Kaname's neck, driving him insane with ecstasy, whilst his hand crept up Kaname's body to reach one of the pureblood's sensitive nipples. Kaname moaned louder than ever at the dual sensations, hands gripping Zero's back.

Then everything was spoiled, _again. _Someone knocked the door loudly, causing both Zero and Kaname to pull apart in guilty shock.

"Kaname, Watanabe requests an urgent meeting," Takuma's voice was muffled through the wood of the door. "I know you asked that I defer all your meetings today, but he wouldn't take no for an answer."

Zero got off of Kaname, standing up looking deeply uncomfortable.

"I'll see to it right away, Takuma," Kaname said, horrified at how shaky his voice was. He didn't want Takuma to know what he'd been up to.

"Alright, Kaname. Will I schedule the meeting for half an hour's time?"

"That would be great, Takuma. Thank you."

Kaname stood, trying to get his breath back and calm himself down a little. Zero was staring at the floor, looking unbearably cute with his rumpled hair and rosy blush.

"I'm sorry about that, Zero," Kaname said, pleased to see that his voice was almost normal again. "I guess I'll have to go talk to Watanabe, so we won't have as much time as we thought."

Zero finally caught his gaze again, amethyst eyes still a little darker than usual, coloured a deep plum as a result of his lust. "That's ok. I understand that you're busy. And Kaname, I - I really enjoyed today."

"Me too," Kaname said, pressing another kiss to Zero's lips. "I probably won't be long with Watanabe. Do you want to wait?" Kaname knew that he perhaps sounded a little pushy, but he couldn't help it. The feeling of Zero's body pressed against his, being able to feel his heart beat through they're clothes, and when Zero had snaked one hand up his body… It had been heavenly.

"I- I would love to, but there's something I really need to do," Zero said. Kaname was slightly put out, but he grabbed Zero's face and kissed him hard.

"That's okay," Kaname said. "I understand. But we should do this again sometime."

"Yeah," Zero said, giving a brilliant smile. Zero did not smile too often, but when he did it was a beautiful sight.

The two kissed again, a soft, light peck, before having to fulfil their separate obligations. As Kaname prepared for his meeting, he thought that he would have fond memories of this day for a long time. Not even that slimy noble bastard Watanabe could bring his mood down.

* * *

><p>Zero gripped Lily's strong neck as he rode toward the forest. He had been incredibly nervous whilst in Kaname's company, but when Kaname had kissed him it was like flicking a switch. He had forgotten his discomfort at the finery of Kaname's house, about how he could never match up to this wonderful man. All he had been aware of was the silky lips pressed against his, of the man's beautiful body, and nothing else had mattered.<p>

Even though he knew that he didn't deserve it, in those lust filled moments all he had wanted was to dominate Kaname, to take the pureblood and make that gorgeous man belong to him. it had felt wonderful to touch Kaname like that, and Zero hoped he would get a chance to do it again sometime.

It had taken a lot of self restraint to decline Kaname's invitation to stay and wait, but Zero had known that he really needed to get to the hunter camp as soon as possible. He had been told to meet Yagari at the site of the disassembled camp days ago. He just hoped there would be someone scouting the area to lead him to the new location.

As Lily neared the site of the old camp she walked the rest eagerly. Zero knew that she would be sorely disappointed to find what had become of her old home. Just as he had feared, there was nobody around. He dismounted the horse as she nosed at a collapsed tent that the hunters had not bothered to take to their new camp.

It was silly of him to have thought someone would just be standing there. Kaname's Vampire Knights had scoured the area and found nothing, but their leader had still been shot by a dart. If the hunters did not want to be noticed then it would be impossible to find them.

But they knew Zero, and so they would hopefully approach him and get him to Yagari. He would just have to wait until another of Yagari's hunters scouted the area again.

Zero sat down on the springy grass, looking at the camp miserably. It had been where he had grown up, and he felt a small pang of sadness at seeing it totally torn down. But the thing that bothered him the most was that he didn't feel this was his home anymore. His couple of weeks in Nine-Orchids had created more fond memories for him than his entire time in this little camp. He hadn't minded living here, but he had never really enjoyed it either. This was something else that Nine-Orchids had taught him.

He plucked out little emerald strands of grass absentmindedly, letting the wind catch them and thinking again about his time with Kaname. He had been very happy when Kaname had accepted his invitation to go out for breakfast, and was overjoyed when he saw just how much the pureblood had enjoyed himself.

But one thing had bothered him… On the way back to the palace he had thought he had seen Masato from the corner of his eye, once again in an area he had no need to be in. Zero thought back to the day Kaname had almost died. Hadn't he heard Takuma telling Masato to keep an eye on him? Just because Takuma had stood by Kaname in the court did not mean that he trusted Zero yet… Maybe that was what Masato was doing.

Lily was still sniffing around the remains of her old home, but she seemed more confused than upset. Zero realised that the trough was gone, moved to the new location. The mare must be thirsty after carrying him so far. Zero stood, patting the horse on her flank and beckoning her to follow him. It wasn't too far from the camp to the stream, about half a mile, and Zero decided that it wouldn't hurt to get her watered. Chances were no hunters would have passed in that time.

Once they heard the liquid rushing of the stream, Lily needed no more prompting, and headed forward to sip happily at the clear water. Zero watched her, feeling a little burst of love for her. It may seem silly, but Zero had always thought of her as a friend. She looked up at him, water trickling from her mouth, and then turned to stare behind him. Zero had been about to turn around, but a cold shape pressed between his shoulder blades stopped him.

"Welcome home, traitor," the icy voice came from behind him.

Zero felt his heart jump into overdrive, pumping hard. It was very obvious that someone held a gun to his back. From the tone of the man's voice, Zero seriously doubted that he would get out of here alive.

What the hell should he do?

* * *

><p>I hope you liked it!<p>

Once again, thanks for the reviews! They make me dance with joy! =D


	9. Chapter 9

A/N = Sorry for overreacting about the quality of the last chapter. I've decided to leave it like it is unless someone thinks it should be rewritten. So please, don't be afraid to say if you don't like it!

I apologise for my lack of self-esteem and earlier stressing, lol. ^_^`

Disclaimer : I still don't own Vampire Knight. =P

* * *

><p>Zero felt the cold metal of the gun barrel dig into his back, and felt his stomach turn.<p>

"I need to talk to Yagari," Zero said, noting distractedly that his voice had not wavered. "I'll explain everything when I've seen him."

"I don't think he'll want to see you," the man's deep voice responded. "Not after what you've did!"

"Listen, I'm not sure what you're talking about," Zero answered.

Zero started as the man wrapped one arm around his chest, pulling him closer until their bodies were touching. The cold of the gun was startling as it pressed against the underside of Zero's chin. Zero tried to keep his feet on the uneven ground as the man forced him to move backward awkwardly, almost slipping.

His accidental movement caused the man to grip him more tightly, fingernails digging painfully into Zero's skin.

"Brat." The word was whispered right into Zero's ear, making him shiver. "We know what you did. We could have killed that bastard pureblood, _I _could have killed him, but you fucking ruined EVERYTHING!"

Zero grit his teeth as the words were yelled right beside his face. _So this is the asshole behind that cowardly attack… _

"Why did you do it? Did you want to take the glory away from me? Or have you really just pissed all over everything that we did for you. I told Yagari that we should have killed you when we found you… You don't deserve the Kiriyu name!"

Despite the danger of the situation he was in, Zero felt the anger and frustration overwhelm the fear. Finally, he managed to hold the angry retort from escaping his lips. But what did all this mean? The man obviously knew Zero had saved the pureblood's life, but was this just a guess because the pureblood was not dead when he should be? Did they think only someone who had seen the darts in action have found the cause of the prince's illness? Or had they somehow found out the results of his court case, when Kaname had proclaimed the hunter had saved his life in front of a crowded court.

If the latter was the answer, then that opened a whole new array of questions. Zero was certain that the hunters had not spoken to any of the vampires in Nine-Orchids. They had not conducted any raids recently, and Zero had never heard of them approaching any vampire in a none aggressive way. Had they been hiding things from him, even when Yagari had stood up for him? Even worse, had _Yagari _been hiding things?

"Perhaps I should just blow that pretty little vampire face off?" the man purred, pushing his weapon against Zero's skin hard enough to hurt. The words jolted Zero back to reality with a bang, and he realised that if he ever wanted to know the answers to those questions he would have to survive this first.

"Nakamura! What are you doing? Yagari told us not to speak to him, just bring him back _now_." This new voice belonged to a woman, and Zero recognised her immediately. Her name was Chihiro, and she had been one of the few to speak kind words to him without Yagari's prompting. In fact, she had been a sort of mother figure for him.

Zero heard the man laugh at her words, a horrible hissing sound as though the man was laughing through clenched teeth. "Relax. I'm just having a little fun before Yagari gets his hands on him."

Zero could feel cold sweat erupt at the man's words. Did he mean that Yagari was going to protect Zero from further threats, or did it merely mean that Yagari wanted to kill him with his own two hands?

The gun was removed from Zero's face, and he could not stop the little sigh of relief he felt from escaping. Then there was a noise of rustling material, and the feeling of rough fabric being tightened over his eyes. Something greasy but very strong was wound around his wrists, securing them once again behind his back. Zero tried to bite back a loud groan as the oily substance met his skin. It was a hunter poison, not a deadly one, but a hideously painful one.

His skin was starting to get inflamed and itchy, and he was hoping that wherever Yagari was, that he was very close, no matter his intention for Zero. Hands were pushing him roughly, and it was enough for Zero to know that there were more than two hunters here to capture him. _And I was so blind that I just walked in, happily oblivious…_

"What about Lily?" Chihiro asked. "Should we leave her here?"

"No, bring her along. When Yagari kills the little vampire brat, we'll take her. It won't hurt to have another horse."

Zero _really_ hoped that the man was just having a little more fun at his expense. Surely Yagari would not actually _kill _him?

Once Zero had walked so far, he was held by a few very strong hunters whilst his legs were bound together with the poison slicked rope. The hunter toxins were painful, but had not broken his skin, so he was still quite dangerous. Zero did not understand why they had not forced the poison to take full effect, but realised that he could not struggle against his bindings in case he tore his flesh on the thick rope.

After both legs were bound, Zero felt himself be lifted onto the back of a horse, belly first. It was extremely uncomfortable, and made his breathing feel a little constricted, but it was unbearable. More ropes were used to bind him to the horse, and then he felt the animal begin to move. It was very unpleasant to be jounced in such a way, but the ropes held him taut and ensured that he would not topple off.

* * *

><p>Kaname strode out of his living chambers, cursing Watanabe for destroying his perfect moment with Zero. He hoped that he did not look too flushed, and had taken the precaution of brushing his hair before setting out for this unpleasant meeting. The Kuran House and the Watanabe House had always clashed. The Kuran House were liberals, the Watanabe House were traditionalists.<p>

Kaname had kept the hatred alive after his parents' demise. Watanabe wanted to keep the world in the dark, he wanted everyone to be judged on lineage and he _hated _those of impure blood. When Kaname had imposed the rule that ex-humans would be allowed to _choose _who to share their blood and bodies with, he had crossed some sort of invisible line with Watanabe. The Watanabe house had over a hundred ex-humans that they would rape, feed on, and even kill for their own enjoyment.

Kaname had felt a great satisfaction when Watanabe had to release all of those poor, tormented people under the new rules. Most of those who had been in service to the Watanabe House were too broken to be mended, but Kaname had tried to save every single one of them, starting up the blood source program and trying to set up facilities to repair the damage caused to them mentally.

Watanabe had been disgusted. He had to feed only on his wife, and pay for any sexual fantasies he wished to fulfil. It was common knowledge that Watanabe Aoi and his wife hated each other.

Kaname sat at his long mahogany table, deciding that he would still stick to the etiquette that was expected from one of his blood. He drummed his fingers on the polished wood, wondering what Watanabe had to say. He had thought everything had been sorted out at the case yesterday, but what if Watanabe had spotted some way to form a counterattack. Takuma was incredibly learned in many areas, but had never tried to specialise in law. Perhaps one of Watanabe's men had found a law that could effectively destroy Kaname's plans for Zero.

He waited for the arrival of the repulsive Elder, growing more and more worried that the man had done something to thwart him. It did not help that his mind had been rather clouded with desire before. Kaname found himself almost drunk in response to Zero's boldness, and he had been disappointed that the gorgeous young man had other things to take care of. It would be nice to think that he could look forward to Zero's company after this.

The door opened, and Kaname knew without looking that it was Takuma; only his friend would enter without knocking, and he would certainly never do so if escorting a guest.

"Watanabe Aoi should be here in about twenty minutes," Takuma said, seating himself next to his friend.

"I must admit that I'm a little worried, Takuma. Do you think he has found some sort of loophole around the law we brought up?"

Takuma smiled wearily. "I really doubt it. He seems to be _incredibly _angry. I think its more likely that he's come here to rant. You know, like he did when you outlawed the abuse towards ex-humans?"

"Ah, you're right," Kaname said, relieved. "Although I can't say that I'm looking forward to having that arrogant pig berate me for an hour."

There was a loud knock on the recently repaired door, and Kaname had to stifle a groan. It seemed Watanabe was not going to wait until his appointment began. Kaname and Watanabe always had to play by the rules in public, but as soon as they were alone all those social pretences were dropped.

Takuma hurriedly stood, not wanting to go against social etiquette by sitting beside a pureblood like an equal. Kaname always tried to keep up the façade of good humour around Watanabe, enjoying how it infuriated the older vampire.

Shiki opened the door, stepping out of the way as the sour faced noble strode into the room, plopping himself down in the chair opposite Kaname insolently. Kaname stood, and give a respectful bow of his head.

"Welcome, Elder Watanabe Aoi. I assume you wish our conversation to be a private one?" Kaname seated himself again, watching Watanabe's face flicker with anger.

"Yes, Kuran. That's why I asked for a _private _meeting," Watanabe frowned.

"Takuma, Shiki, could I ask you two to step outside?" Kaname asked. He saw the fierce disapproval on the other man's face. Purebloods were supposed to rule with a firm hand, and did not _ask_ a servant to do anything.

As soon as the door closed behind the two nobles, the Elder turned, furious. " I don't know what the hell you're playing at, Kuran."

"I'm really not sure what you mean, Aoi," Kaname said, taking pleasure at how the casual dropping of his title annoyed the high blood.

Today Watanabe was wearing a beautiful, crisp white shirt that was similar to the one Zero had worn, and though the Elder was a very attractive person, Kaname felt that Zero had looked better in it. Of course, Watanabe had not come so casually dressed; over the shirt he wore a finely embroidered waistcoat that was made of an impossibly expensive material. Kaname had many fine and luxurious garments, of course, but he would not dream of buying anything simply because it was highly priced.

Watanabe could be such a handsome man, with his delicate face framed with shiny golden locks, if it was not for the unwavering grimace that was constantly painted on his face. The only time Kaname saw that look of disdain disappear was when Watanabe got one up on the Kuran House, for example, the day Kaname had been orphaned. That memory still stung, and though some may find their feud trivial, Kaname would do anything to bring down the Watanabe House.

"Don't get smart with me, _Kuran._ I'm not the only Elder in the court who thinks you've gone too far this time. I'm actually part of a _majority_. You know what that means, don't you? If you keep flaunting your liberal ideals, like your half-witted parents did, you will never get the backing you need to get the throne."

Despite the petty quality of the jibe, Kaname felt his blood boil. This man did not deserve to even speak of his parents', let alone poke fun at them.

"I believe we have had this conversation before, Aoi," Kaname said aloofly, not allowing this git to see that his comment had hit home. "But it turned out that you were a part of the minority who admitted that they wished to take part in casual rape and brutal bloodletting."

"Only because the others were to cowardly to admit that they have the same instincts as the rest of us! Its in our nature, Kuran. Are you honestly telling me that you don't need blood to survive? That you have never needed to relieve a little stress with the company of someone else?"

"Of course I need blood to live, Aoi, but as for the rest… Only an animal lives on instinct, without considering the consequences of their actions. The Kuran House has always strived to better our race," Kaname said, voice still calm, but now with an iron undertone.

This man seemed to honestly believe that Kaname had forced himself on someone before. It was not an unreasonable assumption, unfortunately. Most noble and pureblood Houses had slaves to cater to their sexual needs, and most had nobody to tell them it was unethical. Kaname's parents had never 'employed' anyone to service them in that way, and had told their son of the immorality of such things.

"Oh, come off of it, Kuran. We all know what you got up to with that little blonde whore Shizuka left you! The state that girl was in… Nothing short of pure blood would have saved her. And you certainly kept her around long enough afterwards… but then again, she _was _very pretty," Watanabe was smirking, and Kaname wanted nothing more than to reach across the table and rip his smug face off.

"Don't you _dare_ say that I'm the same as you. And if you use that word to describe Hitomi one more time, I'll make damn sure you regret it!" Kaname knew that he was acting just how Watanabe wanted him to, but he could not control the anger that the man's words evoked. Or deny the echo of truth…

"Oh, dear me, have I touched a nerve?" Watanabe mocked. "But don't underestimate the situation that you've put yourself in. You took away the rest of the court's pleasure slaves and kept your own, and now you want to allow one of such low, filthy blood to entire your inner circle? The court are not happy, and you're only making things worse. It seems like I no longer have to worry about the idea of a Kuran on the throne," Watanabe was smiling a slow, self satisfied smile.

"Get out now!" Kaname exclaimed from between clenched teeth. He was unbelievably angry at his own reaction, but once again the emotions he felt were too strong to be diluted.

"Of course, Lord Kuran," Watanabe said. "You take care now…"

Kaname was literally shaking with anger as Takuma re-entered, and Shiki led the spitefully satisfied noble out of Kaname's wing of the palace. Takuma took his seat beside Kaname hesitantly, noting the pureblood's tense posture. Kaname was aware that he had just allowed his enemy to make a fool out of him, and he had no doubt that Takuma had heard him raise his voice from outside.

"Do you need anything, Kaname?" Takuma asked.

"No. I just feel like being on my own right now." Kaname ran his hands through his hair in distress, and Takuma left the room.

Watanabe had just came to gloat, but it did not change the fact that Kaname may have just sabotaged his own rise to the throne. If the others thought him to be a selfish hypocrite, then making an ex-human into his own personal Knight may have pushed his luck farther than it could afford to go.

It seemed that what he had shared with Hitomi was commonly known around the court. It was true that when he found that small, broken shell in Shizuka's chambers that he had fed her his blood to stall her fall to level 'E status. He had used a pureblood charm to dilute his blood into Hitomi's, helping her to avoid the craving for his blood after she gained consciousness. He had also put a lot of effort into helping her get back on to her feet, having been horrified to see what was the normal life for an ex-human first hand.

She had been a surprisingly strong young woman, and Kaname had felt a lot of respect for her determination to leave the past behind. She would not allow Shizuka to steal her entire life from her. In a way, she had taught Kaname a lot too.

At that time, Kaname had been very uncertain of his feelings, and the two had shared a night together. That had been enough to assure Kaname of his sexuality, and he had immediately tried to distance himself from her, hating himself for treating her emotions so badly. He had been too afraid of the social implications of telling her _why _he could never be with her, but he doubted that even if she knew it would be any consolation.

Kaname had been the only person to show Hitomi any respect, and he saw how his actions had upset her. He would never forgive himself for hurting her in such a way, when she was already so vulnerable. Somehow the two had remained friends when Kaname admitted that he felt for her like she was a sister, and not a lover.

It had been Kaname who had told her that she should choose a new vocation to give them some space from each other, and he was pleased to see that she was doing so well.

He had thought, when he saw how fast she and Zero had become friends, that he could finally put the whole awkward situation behind him. She had finally gotten her life back, and when they met she treated him like a good friend. It seemed she had forgiven him for treating her so badly. Kaname was glad that they could still enjoy a level of friendship, and that the tiny, sobbing form he had found lying on the floor of Shizuka's chambers had transformed into this strong, confident woman.

But it seemed that the political repercussions of his actions were only now coming to light. If the other high blood vampires thought that Kaname had been taking the girl's blood and body without her will, then they obviously thought that he had been ignoring his own rules. The nobles clearly saw him as a selfish baby, who did not want to share his toys.

Kaname _needed _to get on the throne. It was the only way that he could avenge his parents and make a change to this twisted society. But if Watanabe was correct, then his 'crazy liberalism' may have cost him the throne. He desperately wanted to repair the damage he had supposedly done, but he refused to undo his own rules. He would not put people like Hitomi in danger by reversing his laws, and he could not take away Zero's knighthood, or the man than he was starting to fall in love with would certainly die.

It seemed a strange time for him to realise just how strong his feelings were, but he knew that their timing did not make them any less true. Just half an hour ago he had been enjoying Zero's aggressive caresses… It was strange how fast his mood had been reversed.

He could not undo those decisions, but if he did not get on the throne, then any laws he had made would be reversed anyway…

Kaname ran his hands through his hair once more. There was still a long time before any official decisions would be made. Perhaps he could use that time to win back the majority of the court, but he knew that he could no more put Zero in danger than he could forget his own ideals.

* * *

><p>The jouncing of the horse was making Zero feel very nauseous now, so he felt a huge relief when the animal began to slow. He really hoped that the ropes would be removed soon; he could not feel his hands at all, and his wrists were aching.<p>

"Why are we stopping?" came the voice of Zero's original captor. From the nearness of the sound, Zero now knew who he was sharing the horse with.

"Come here!" Chihiro said, voice high-pitched with worry.

"For God's sake, woman! We're on a mission!" Zero herd and felt the man dismount, brushing against his numbing limbs. Somewhere to his left, it sounded like someone else was doing the same.

"What?" came a man's voice, unfamiliar this time.

"Look here, it seems like someone else has been through here. Do you think that those vampires have come close to the camp?" Chihiro was panicking now.

There was a sudden, loud bang and a masculine shout, and then all hell seemed to break loose. There was an awful lot of scuffling and Zero felt the horse dance under him nervously. He felt a jolt of fear, visioning the horse fleeing, and of a slow, painful demise all alone in the forest.

From the sound of it, someone was fighting. It sounded like a man and a woman, probably Chihiro and one of the two men. Zero now felt fear for Chihiro, who had acted a little like a mother figure to him, until the birth of her own child had distracted her attention. She had never told anyone who the father was, Zero thought distractedly. He then chided himself for allowing his thoughts to stray. The pain caused by the poisoned rope was making it hard to keep his mind on any topic for more than a few seconds.

Suddenly another thump reached his ears, and then the sound of heavy breathing was all that could be heard. Zero felt a surge of hope; it sounded like the victor was a woman. A pair of small hands gripped the ropes around Zero's legs and back, and began to deftly untie the knots that held him in place. After a minute, Zero could feel himself slide to the side. The strong hands caught him, helping him down gently.

Eventually, all the ropes were removed, and like magic, the pain in his wrists diminished, clearing his thoughts. He reached up with fumbling fingers and removed the cloth blindfold. A blurred vision of long sorrel hair and hazel eyes told him that he had guessed the woman's identity correctly.

The woman pushed her thick, wavy hair out of her flushed face. "Zero, get Lily and go. I don't know why you came back, you aren't welcome here."

Zero rubbed life back into his legs, then attempted to stand. "How do the people here know what I've done…?"

Now that he had managed to gain his feet, if a little unsteadily, he caught sight of two slumped forms only a few metres away. Chihiro reached out a hand to keep him steady, seemingly unworried about the state of her co-workers.

"There are still humans in Nine-Orchids, Zero, even if they do keep out of sight for the most part. It is not hard for us to gain information. Now, _listen to me_. We don't have much time!" Chihiro was still panting a little in exertion as she spoke. "Yagari wants you dead, Zero. He thinks that you've betrayed us, but I don't see the world in black and white like he does."

Zero felt his heart sink. _So its true… The man who raised me wants to kill me…_

She sighed, looking out over the thick roof of tree branches. "To me, you'll always be that lost little boy who lost his parents. I won't let him kill you, Zero, no matter the consequences to me. Just promise me something?"

"What is it?" Zero asked, humiliated to fell tears prickle at the corners of his eyes. Why had he come back here? He didn't belong here. But where did he belong? In Nine-Orchids? Was that what his parents would have wanted?

"I want you to promise that you won't betray us. Not our new location, not our secrets or how we operate, no matter what. Some of us have children in the camp… I don't want anything to happen to my baby, but I don't want anything to happen to you, either…" tears were starting to form in her hazel eyes.

"Listen, Chihiro, I promise you that I didn't mean to betray _anyone._ And I'll never let anyone hurt your son either, not after everything you did for me," Zero felt awful. This was it, the last time he would ever see anyone from his old life, the life that had been so recent, yet felt so long ago.

Chihiro give him a watery smile, then leaned on her tiptoes to kiss Zero's forehead. "Go on Zero. Take Lily, and don't come back. There is nothing here for you anymore."

Zero nodded, swallowing back tears. "Thank you, Chihiro, for everything."

Lily had been secured to the horse Zero had been bound to with her own length of rope. Zero untied her with quivering hands, then pulled himself onto her strong back.

"The human settlement isn't safe either, Zero. Take her right into Nine-Orchids with you, and… good luck." Chihiro pulled herself onto the saddle of one of the other horses, and waved.

Zero wished that she could come with him to avoid the repercussions of her help, but he knew that she would never leave without her son. Her merciful words and actions meant a lot to him, and Zero sincerely hoped that Yagari would not do anything drastic. But he knew better than to give up this chance.

"Thank you so much Chihiro. I hope you don't regret helping me," Zero tapped his heels against Lily's flanks to urge her forward and away from his home for the last time.

* * *

><p>Thank you for reading! =3<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to review! =D

Oh, and I feel that I better warn you, this chapter contains my very first attempt at a citrus scene (Not sure whether it's a lemon or a lime, lol.)

It is, of course, yaoi.

I could not stop blushing while writing this, lol. I enjoy reading yaoi in other stories, but I get unbelievably embarrassed when trying to write it myself. ^_^`

Please tell me what you think.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Zero was deeply ashamed as the tears began streaking his cheeks, but he had not been able to hold them back any longer. Lily's sides were heaving as she finally cleared the border of the forest, running at a speed Zero had never pushed her to before. He felt guilty for forcing her into the demanding gait, but his life hung on the line and he hadn't any other choice.

As Lily tore the grass and mud out from beneath them with her huge, powerful hooves, Zero berated himself for his idiocy. He should have known that he was not their only source of information from the vampire capital. Yagari would want to see the city through the perspectives of many different people, and would probably not trust a single person's news without proper conformation that they spoke the truth.

But Zero had thought that things would be different with him, though that now seemed a little conceited when he thought on it. Yagari did not trust _anyone, _even someone that he had spent years raising, it seemed. Zero raised a hand from the base of Lily's muscled neck to wipe angrily at his wet face. He just felt like screaming with frustration. He had been sure that he would not fail in his mission, and had also been sure that Yagari's plan was a righteous one. He had thought that killing the pureblood prince would be the right thing to do, that his parents would have been cheering him on…

He really did not remember enough of his parents to safely say what they would want him to do in this ugly situation that he had tangled himself in. His time in Nine-Orchids had been enlightening in that respect, teaching him that the only way to get anywhere in life was to make his own decisions. Kaname had shown him that, when he stood up for him in court. Hitomi had proved it when she had shown how she had gained her life back from Shizuka.

From now on he would do what he thought was right, even if others thought his actions were wrong. Zero felt the fire of determination rise within him again. The encounter that he had shared with the hunters had made him feel like a worthless backstabber, but now he brushed those thoughts away.

It was the hunters who had betrayed _him, _and not the other way around. In all his years living with Yagari, he had never been told of the humans who supplied the camp with information. If the rest of the hunters had known the good work Kaname was doing, then why had they wanted to eliminate him? As far as Zero knew, the only reason that Kaname disliked hunters was because of the frequent raids that were carried out on his people, and Zero did not blame him.

Zero felt a wave of guilt smack him like a tsunami. He had always wanted to go on the raids with Yagari's hunters, and had even _admired_ those who frequently rode into the capital. But now he realised that those hunters, who often came home and bragged about the supplies they had stolen or even, Zero remembered with horror, the bloodsuckers they had killed, were nothing more than monsters. _They_ were the true beasts hiding beneath the masks of humanity… And to think that Zero had actually been _jealous, _unhappy that he was always left behind to keep his identity hidden from the vampires for Yagari's biggest plan.

Zero imagined what might have happened if he had been allowed to go to the capital… He would perhaps have killed one the vampires he had now gotten to know. He felt a shiver of terror at the thought of Hitomi, Kyoko, or even Aido lying lifeless, killed by his hand, and for what? A false sense of revenge? Or just for the joy of the kill? Zero had no idea why the hunters at the camp still conducted raids. Back when Shizuka had been at large, he could understand, but now, when Nine-Orchids was falling under the power of a man who strove for equality… It made no sense!

It was clear that the hunters had kept him totally blind on purpose, but why? And what would they do now that Zero had escaped? He hoped that Chihiro would not get into trouble for her actions. But now that all these horrible secrets had floated to the surface, allowing Zero a proper look at those he had once idolised, he was not so sure that they would let her off lightly. It was yet another thing he was responsible for, he thought bitterly. His tears had dried, but his mind was still in a riot of emotion.

The hunters had not conducted a single raid since Zero had arrived in Nine-Orchids. It was not a suspicious amount of time since their last incursion, but Zero was starting to worry that they would use the next one as a chance to silence him for good.

Lily's hooves had been eating the ground at such a speed that they were now close to the human settlement. Zero turned her head gently, directing her toward the glowing beacon on the horizon that was the torch lit city of Nine-Orchids. Seen from here, the buildings seemed tiny, but distance could not entirely conceal the magnificence of the capital.

Maybe he shouldn't worry about the hunters finding him. There were a multitude of buildings and a huge, complex maze of streets in the city. Perhaps the hunters would not find him in such a highly populated place… But then again, they might not have to _find_ him at all. They were in contact with the humans in Nine-Orchids. For all Zero knew, somebody had been tailing his every move in the city. And who was to say whether those who supplied information would not also be willing to sell their services as an assassin?

_Oh God… I hope they don't hurt anyone else in the process, _he thought. He had enough on his shoulders right now.

Zero allowed Lily to slow her pace and get her breath back. Her flanks were heaving with exhaustion, and Zero's mind was almost as tired as his mount. They were drawing ever closer to the city, and Zero started to wonder what he would do with Lily when they got there. He knew that the noble vampires had their own horses, but he guessed that they were some sort of special breed. Lily was no such animal, and was simply a normal mare. How would he get her to enter the city gates with the smell of predators all around?

Zero was feeling too tired to worry about it right now. Feeling upset about the situation would not remedy it, and so Zero thought instead of the prince. The moments he had shared with Kaname were beautiful, and he actually felt a new emotion; relief. Things were still confused and muddled, but at last he knew who's side he was on, and that wasn't likely to change soon. That thought was somehow wonderful. He would become a knight and protect the man he cared for, and he would no longer be compromised by his past loyalties. He could now put every inch of his effort into helping out the people who had freed him of his unfair prejudices, and allowed him to take his own direction in life.

They were only a quarter mile from the gates, and Zero forced himself to dismount. Lily had been carrying him for a long time at a high speed. When Zero reached out to take her reins, his sleeve slid back to reveal angry red wheals where his wrists had been in contact with the poison. He hoped Hitomi was around when he got back to the boarding house. It would be extremely suspicious for him to be found bearing the marks of hunter toxin.

Lily was starting to get jittery as they walked into the cobblestone streets of Nine-Orchids. She had an awful lot of tolerance, Zero mused. He had removed his own suppressant charm days after arriving in the capital, having grown accustomed to the feeling of being surrounded by vampires. But if he had just walked in the first day with nothing between him and the vampire auras he would have been terribly overwhelmed.

The further in they went, however, the weaker Lily's resistance got. She whinnied unhappily, and Zero reached out to try and calm her. He was a little disconcerted to find the thick layer of sweat that covered the horse's body. He really wanted to find her somewhere nice to rest, but was still unsure of where to go.

Now that they had reached a more populated part of the city, Lily was actually starting to pull against him, tugging hard on the reins as she tried to back away. Zero felt his cheeks heat as the vampires heading past gave him amused or irritated looks. Zero felt much too embarrassed to ask one of them for directions, but at the same time he felt annoyed that they could see him struggling and did nothing.

"Oh, for God's _sake!"_ came an irritated voice behind him. Zero craned his neck, trying to see who had been talking without losing his hold on Lily's reins.

"Just bend her mind, idiot! Even a 'D can do _that,_" Zero finally caught sight of Aido, arms folded and an impatient frown on his face.

"What are you talking about?" Zero asked angrily, cursing as Lily reared on to her hind legs in panic. "Come on, help me get her to the stables."

Aido gave a theatrical sigh before striding towards the struggling ex-human. "I forgot that you don't know anything. Just let go of her reins for a minute."

"Are you crazy? She'd run off and I'd never see her again!" Zero scowled.

"Oh, just do it. Let go and then take hold of her face. Tell her that there's no danger," Aido said. "Honestly, I don't know why Kaname wanted such a dull, ignorant person as his Knight! Don't you know that you can control an animal's mind with your will?"

"Fine then, if you hold her reins while I do it," Zero said. He didn't know if Aido was just messing around, but he was willing to try anything to help his distressed mare. He had never heard that an ex-human could force any kind of mental control on another living creature before.

Aido took the reins reluctantly as Zero shoved them at him, taking the mare's face between his hands. At first she tossed her head, unwilling to allow him to constrict her movement. Eventually she calmed a little, and Zero closed his eyes, concentrating on what he wanted her to feel. Lily drew away, throwing her head back in annoyance.

"Were you just taking the piss, Aido? Because I could really do without the bullshit right now," Zero said, allowing some of his earlier frustrations to emerge in his words.

"No! You're just not doing it right! Here," Aido thrust the reins back at Zero and placed his own hands on either side of the horse's face. Zero couldn't help but be a little amazed as the horse relaxed, tense muscles suddenly slack. She looked like she might fall asleep.

"How did you do that?" Zero asked.

Aido's eyes were closed, but he reached out a hand at Zero's words. "I'll show you."

Zero reluctantly placed his hand in Aido's, a little self-consciously. So far the wounds he had received at the hunter camp had been kept out of sight, and he really didn't want to let the blonde see them now. Also, he found Aido an annoying little prick, and wasn't sure if he felt comfortable holding his hand in the middle of a crowded street.

As soon as Aido's fingers tightened around his, Zero felt a strange sensation, like he was deeply asleep, but yet awake. He could feel Aido beside him, guiding his mind towards Lily's. He could feel her, a tiny ball of tight panic, coated in a light layer of docile contentment. He tried to do as Aido was doing, and wrapped his own layer of calm over her, until the panic was totally absorbed. Aido helped him pull his mind back into his own head, and he felt like he had just woken up. Lily regarded him with a look of tired ease.

"Wow, how did we do that?" this strange new ability had actually helped diminish his earlier unhappiness. "Could I do it on my own if I needed to?"

"Of course you can. It gets easier the more you do it," Aido said, seemingly embarrassed that he had actually been of some help for once. "Do you have a stable for her?"

"No, I was looking for one when she freaked out," Zero answered. "Do you know where I can take her?"

"Yeah…" Aido said, directing him to the nearest public stable.

Zero led the newly calmed horse down another few winding roads, finally coming to his destination. He wasn't sure what he thought of the control he had forced on the animal. As far as he could tell, her personality was still the same, and only her fear had gone. She had nuzzled him affectionately a few times, just like she had always done. As long as he had not changed her personality, Zero didn't think there was anything wrong with helping her relax in the company of vampires.

The man at the public stables found Lily a large shed, and Zero, having finally gotten his friend somewhere to recuperate, decided to head back to Kyoko's boarding house. Kyoko was sitting in one of the large, squishy armchairs in the living area. She greeted Zero warmly, but he wasn't really in the mood to get into a proper conversation with her.

Once he was in the solitude of his room, everything seemed to come flooding back, all those horrible, intense emotions from earlier rushing back to swallow him. He was shaking a little, and he sat on his bed, running his hands through his messy silver hair. He had wanted to be alone earlier, and get a chance to rest, but the quiet was killing him.

He did not want to think that the man he had thought of as his father wanted to kill him… And hadn't even went to the effort of going to get Zero himself. It was a silly thing to dwell on, out of all the rubbish things that had happened, but it was something that he could not shake from his mind. It seemed so impersonal… Had Yagari _ever_ felt that Zero was his son? Or even a _friend_? Or had Zero only ever been a weapon to his eyes, something to keep safe only until it was time to light the fuse?

Zero couldn't do this… It was too hard to think such thoughts. He now simply longed for company, for a friendly voice to fill the silence. He stood suddenly, making up his mind.

He checked his dishevelled appearance, and pulled his shirt off, noting with approval that the bright marks circling his wrists were faded to almost nothing. He finished stripping, and began to pull on another of his new outfits, not really caring what he looked like at this present moment.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Kaname regretted sending Takuma away. He could not stop himself from brooding on the hole he had dug himself into, but all he was doing was torturing himself. There was no way to change the past, so he would simply have to use the rest of his time before the election to gain back the support of the other Elders. Watanabe was, needless to say, a lost cause.

There was nothing that he could do tonight, however, and all Kaname wanted was to take his mind off of this mess. There was a loud knock at the door, and Kaname turned, puzzled. Had Takuma come back, somehow knowing that the disastrous events of the meeting would make Kaname long for company?

"Come in," he answered. If it _was _Takuma, then he could go over some plans with him to restore his political credit, and the night would not be a total loss.

Kaname was surprised. He had not expected to see Zero again today, and was surprised at the confident entrance. All thoughts of politics evaporated from Kaname's stressed mind as the young ex-human walked into the room. He was dressed in a different outfit, this one all in black, that accentuated his slender figure. His face was full of intense emotion, and for a moment Kaname was afraid that the younger vampire was mad at him for some reason. But then he saw the shade of those deep lavender eyes, and found himself shivering with anticipation.

This time Zero showed nothing other than total assurance. Something had happened in the last few hours to strip away the boy's shyness, and Kaname loved the bold look in Zero's eyes as the ex-human approached him.

"Zero…" Kaname said, voice a little hoarse from his earlier distress and his new found lust. Zero had not taken his gorgeous eyes of off Kaname's since entering the room. "Why…?"

Zero was only a few steps away from him now, and the pureblood faltered. He felt the other vampire's hands on his waist, and he looked up again to see the ex-human's swirling, desire clouded eyes. However, despite the strong self-confidence Zero had shown, there was something desperate in his gaze, something almost vulnerable.

The feeling of Zero's lips smashing against his for a rough kiss cut off all thought. Once again, Zero raised one callused hand to grasp the pureblood's thick ebony hair, using it to pull him closer. The ex-human parted his lips, pressing his warm, hot tongue into Kaname's mouth with a delicious kind of urgency. It felt so amazing, and Kaname found himself deeply aroused at the taste of the other man, of the nearness of his beautiful, toned body. He longed to strip that lovely outfit off of him, and to touch every last bit of him. He pressed his tongue against Zero's, and was thrilled as it sparked a new and deliciously forceful reaction. Zero pulled his hair tightly, tilting his head and making the pureblood moan in pleasure as his mouth was pillaged demandingly.

Kaname felt Zero's replying groan vibrate through the wild kiss. He couldn't think, all he wanted was to be entirely dominated my this beautiful man… but no, this was way too dangerous.

Though he thought that the effort might kill him, he managed to remove himself from Zero's hot embrace. He was pleased to see that the other vampire seemed as flushed and aroused as he was.

"Not here, Zero," Kaname said in a shaky voice. "Takuma might come back any moment."

He grabbed the ex-human's arm, and led the panting vampire into his bedroom. As soon as the door was closed, their passionate kisses continued, and Kaname could not stop himself from stripping the shirt from Zero's beautiful body. He gave a pleased moan as he saw the other's perfectly toned chest, with his wonderfully flat stomach and aroused pink nipples.

Kaname leaned forward, licking one of the hard little nubs with the tip of his tongue and felt Zero's whole body shiver at the sensation. Zero gripped Kaname's hair again, pulling the pureblood away from his chest and pushing him boldly onto the bed. Kaname felt an excited thrill of fear tremble through him, and he wrapped his arms around Zero's strong back, pulling him down on top of him. Kaname could feel the blood pounding through his veins as excitement overwhelmed him.

Zero's body moulded against his, and he could feel the other man's arousal against his stomach. It was too much… Kaname started to return Zero's dominant kisses with equal vigour, enjoying the feeling of their battling tongues. He pulled out of the kiss suddenly, pulling off his own shirt to allow Zero to explore his body. Zero ran his callused fingers up and down Kaname's sides, looking down at him with eyes that were now entirely taken over with lust. His pupils had expanded, leaving only a small circle of dark lavender around them.

Kaname felt his own desire rise, and he pulled Zero back down against him, feeling the muscles move under that exotic, tan skin. Zero rubbed his arousal against Kaname's own, and both men groaned in total rapture. It was such a delicious sensation, and Zero began to slowly grind his body down into Kaname's, creating a torturous friction between them. Kaname wrapped one of his legs around Zero's back, tilting his head back in ecstasy as Zero's unhurried grinding threatened to drive him insane.

Kaname pushed against Zero, toppling him over so that the pureblood was on top. Kaname immediately set to removing _all _of the intervening material covering Zero's body. After stripping Zero completely, Kaname turned his attention to the other man's hardness. The ex-human's length was swollen with desire, and was dripping with a pearly liquid. Kaname felt his stomach flip in excited desire, and he leaned down to take Zero's arousal into his mouth.

He sucked hard on the tip, swallowing the sweet substance there, making Zero moan loudly and press on the back of his head. Kaname had never done this before, and would have thought that he would be more embarrassed at his actions. But his earlier distress seemed to have opened something inside of him, something that Zero's touch had only ignited. He took Zero's shaft into his mouth slowly, despite the impatient sounds the other man was uttering, letting himself get used to each inch. Once he had taken Zero's length as far as he could, he reached out to stroke the rest of Zero's impressive manhood, and sucked hard on as much as he could. Zero was making the most delicious noises now, and he cried out louder as Kaname began to move his mouth back up Zero's flesh, once again sucking hard at the tip.

Zero was now writhing on the bed, thrusting his hips up and wanting more. Kaname worked his way back down, and then repeated his earlier actions until Zero was panting and whimpering, his reaction furthering Kaname's own desire. Suddenly, and without warning, Zero let out a low groan as Kaname's mouth was filled with hot, thick liquid. Kaname swallowed it quickly, a little surprised at how it had felt.

Zero was still shuddering with the intensity of his release, and Kaname slipped one hand through his silver hair shakily. The pureblood was in great need himself, and the thoughts of what he had just done only fuelled the fire. Zero opened his eyes, and Kaname was startled to see the intense ecstasy written behind those absorbing eyes.

He lay down beside Zero, turning his head and pressing his lips against Zero's. That got a reaction, and Kaname shook with pleasure as Zero sat up and once again plunged his tongue deeply into his mouth. Kaname sucked on his tongue happily, and Zero lowered one hand down under his trousers to stroke at the hardness beneath. Kaname raked his nails through Zero's soft silver locks, making Zero growl deliciously. Zero rubbed at Kaname harder, making him moan in pleasure, and Kaname's hand snaked down to find Zero's recovered arousal.

They stroked at each other for a while, their movements growing swiftly more urgent. Zero suddenly pulled back, and started to remove Kaname's trousers. The pureblood sat up a little to help him, the intense desire Zero had evoked in him was the only thing in his mind right now.

Once both their arousals were uncovered, Zero took them both in his hand, massaging them together. It was an incredibly erotic sensation, and Kaname knew that he could not last long under Zero's delicious attentions. The prince could feel that gorgeous bliss rise up to claim him, and he pressed his face into the bed sheets as orgasm shook through him. Zero was moaning again too, and Kaname felt delighted that they had both came together, their release covering his abdomen. He grabbed the shirt he had been wearing to clean himself up, not caring that it would be ruined. It had been such an amazing feeling, and as Zero collapsed down beside him, panting, Kaname couldn't hold himself back from wrapping his arms around the ex-human's shaking shoulders.

Zero finally lifted his head from the bed, hair sticking up wildly. He stared into Kaname's eyes awkwardly, then lay his head on Kaname's sweaty shoulder. Now that the pleasurable afterglow was starting to fade, Kaname also felt a little self-conscious, though still incredibly satisfied.

Zero began to pull away, and Kaname let him, feeling a little put out over the loss of contact. He was not certain how to act right now, but he was reluctant to lose the weight of Zero's head on his shoulder.

The ex-human was shaking a little as he searched for his hastily discarded clothes. Kaname also stood, putting his hand on Zero's shoulder. The ex-human looked up nervously, and Kaname could not help but be a little amused at the change in him. When Zero was overcome with lust he shed his shyness to reveal that enchanting boldness that lurked beneath, but afterwards he hid beneath his shell again.

"Zero, don't go," Kaname said. He knew that it was stupid, and downright dangerous to spread rumours about their budding relationship. But he had really enjoyed the feeling of the ex-human's hands on his body, and he longed to keep him close.

"Stay here with me…" Kaname whispered. Zero leaned up to press a sweet, soft kiss against Kaname's lips.

"I can't… They might miss me back at the boarding house…" Zero's eyes were full of a nervous, but content expression.

Kaname kissed his forehead gently, "I'm falling in love with you, Zero." He felt both anxious and excited to admit such a thing, but the look Zero gave him warmed his heart.

"Kaname… You've been better to me than anyone else has ever been. I _am _in love with you," Zero was blinking back tears, and Kaname somehow knew that he was not the only one who had been filled with warring emotions. The words filled the prince with a feeling of quiet awe. He had felt so close to Zero, and he could not believe that his feelings had been returned so completely.

Kaname helped Zero collect his clothes, and watched him dress with fascination. Zero finished dressing himself in his messy clothes, and Kaname tried to help him smooth out the creases to make things less obvious. The two traded soft, loving kisses, and then Kaname finally let Zero go, wanting nothing more than to curl under his duvet and spend the night dreaming of the silver haired boy.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((())))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Thank you for reading. As I mentioned before, this is my first… _intimate _scene, and I'm not sure if I'm much cop at it.

Any thoughts you have would be greatly appreciated! ^_^`

x Tia


	11. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: I don't own VK._

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((o))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

He lay his bruised and battered body down on the bench, wheezing so hard that his throat was sore. Zero didn't think that there was one muscle in his body that was not screaming with pain. He had been in the process of training for his upcoming knighthood, which the prince had assured him was only a short while away, and he was certain that it would kill him.

At the trial, Zero had thought he would be knighted right away, but it seemed that there was a lot that had to be sorted out first. Things were done at a snail's pace here, Zero mused. Kaname himself was still in the process of getting the throne, even though he was technically the heir because of his pure blood. Shizuka had been dead for years, but the vampires' almost inconceivably long life spans meant that it had really not been long at all. Zero was not a born vampire, however, and he did not want to waste a decade on simply waiting for the ceremony.

It had been over a week since the night he had spent with Kaname, and he had only seen the pureblood once over the intervening time. Zero was no longer surprised at how he had acted that night; something about the prince just drove him wild, giving him the courage to do things he would not normally do. And as for telling the other vampire that he loved him… well, it was true. After discovering his master's feelings for him he had felt betrayed, alone, but as long as he had Kaname that wasn't true. For some strange reason the pureblood seemed to return his feelings, something that surprised Zero to his very core. Deep inside, his mixed biology had made him feel worthless, disliked by both races, but Kaname had never drew attention to his level 'D status.

The one time he had met with Kaname they had been in the company of Takuma, and had been unable to show any sort of affection to each other. Every time that he glanced at Kaname he had noticed the silent apology in the other man's eyes. It was sad to think that this may be their future, that they would never be able to so much as smile at each other in company. He had been surprised at how comfortable he had become in the company of the pureblood, and vampires in general.

"Matsuda! Get over here!"

Zero looked up to see who was being yelled at, before his tired mind recalled that Matsuda was the surname that he used at Nine-Orchids. Despite everything that he had encountered with the other hunters, he was still proud of his heritage, and he longed to get his old name back.

As he hauled his tired and weak body off of the bench he realised that even though he had decided who to throw his lot in with, he still could not be entirely truthful. If he told Kaname that he had been hiding his heritage, the pureblood would surely ask him why he had not told him the night before the trial. It was obvious that Kaname was intelligent enough to realise that Zero would have to have a reason for hiding his history, and make the connection immediately.

Though Zero had told himself time and time again that he would tell Kaname the truth, it was starting to dawn on him that he would never feel the time was right. But maybe, after they had progressed in their relationship, after they both knew it to be something permanent, maybe then he could tell everything…

He reached down to pick up his weighted katana with bruised and frighteningly weak arms. Zero had always thought he was fit, but this new training made that seem laughable. Even lifting the wooden blade to a defensive stance was tiring at this point. How could anyone survive so many hours of constant combat? The flames of pain that surged through his muscles at even the slightest movement were unbearable, but Zero pushed himself to circle the noble vampire.

He had been assigned this rigorous exercise for a reason; so that he would be prepared should he have to save Kaname from an attempt on his life. It seemed a little ironic that the man who had once plotted the murder of the prince was now throwing himself wholeheartedly into an attempt to keep him safe. But the pureblood had showed Zero what it was like to be trusted… to be loved, and Zero would never betray the man who had pulled him from depression.

"Leave the katana, Matsuda," the noble said, wiping the sweat from his own face. "Go and get your horse."

Zero groaned inwardly. Although he was glad that he could take a little rest from the combat training, it was almost equally hard for him to force his will onto Lily without the help of a born vampire. He walked from the training hall with legs that felt like jelly, heading toward the stables.

Lily had been moved from the public stables to the more easily accessible Knights' stables a few days ago, and though she was a strong and well muscled horse, she seemed woefully inadequate when compared to the magnificent warhorses she now lived with. Still, Zero knew she was reliable, and he had refused the offer of picking one of the Kuran horses.

It seemed a little strange to him, but there were many different groups of Knights in Nine-Orchids. Each of the large, powerful houses, like those of the Elders or even simple high blood nobles, had their own special force of knights. It made sense, though, after he had spoken with Kaname. In a society as twisted as this one, where everyone was an enemy, it would be a necessity to command a force that listened exclusively to you.

Because vampires lived such long, seemingly unending lives, they were not just raising a child, but a possible threat. Zero thought it was depressing that people here could not even trust their own family, and found it even more upsetting that the only family who supported each other had been torn apart by Shizuka. And… as sappy and stupid as it might seem, Zero kind of wanted to be one of the people that Kaname could trust, one of the rare people who stood by his side no matter what.

But it was so hard! He entire body was feeling shaky and drained from the almost constant exercise, and he knew that the vampire who had been assigned to train him did not think him up to the job. When Zero had caught a glimpse of the other Knights, and saw the calibre of those working for the Kuran House, he started to think that the noble might be right.

He left the barracks and walked the short distance to the stables, noting that Masato was leaning against the side of the building. He had been almost everywhere since the trial, and he was not attempting to hide his constant presence from Zero. The young ex-human had no idea what the noble was up to, but he had decided to act as though nothing was amiss. Underneath, though, Zero was very worried.

What was Masato trying to do? If he didn't feel the need to hide his surveillance, then what did that mean for Zero? After the intimate moments he and Kaname had shared, Zero had been afraid that Masato had found out about their relationship. Had he? If Zero assumed correctly, then Masato was watching him on Takuma's orders, and according to Kaname, Takuma was as loyal to him as it was possible to be. So, if Masato found out, it would not necessarily mean that the news would be spread. But Kaname had not wanted the truth about their relationship to reach _any_ ears… Hopefully Zero had not let the prince down.

Masato's eyes followed him as he entered the stables, and Zero stoically ignored him. Lily was the smallest horse in the entire hay lined room, by at least a few hands, and she was right near the front doors. Zero was a little embarrassed at owning the smallest horse, but he would not be separated from her. When she saw him, she approached him happily, bending her head so that he could scratch her ears. Zero acceded to her silent request, trying to use the contact to reline her mind and dissolve any anxiety she may feel when leaving.

It was much harder without any helping hand to guide his mind to hers. He eventually found the presence of her thoughts, and forced his own will upon her, but he knew that he was leaving himself wide open. Vampire Knights needed to be able to line their mount's mind with theirs during the chaos of battle, but Zero still had to block out all other thought to access Lily's mind.

At the back of his mind, Zero realised that this would be the perfect time for Masato to try something to harm him. Zero was totally incapacitated at this moment, and was entirely unable to defend himself. What if he was wrong about the noble vampire's orders? Zero hurried to finish up, wrapping Lily in a layer of calm, before pulling his mind back hastily.

He had half expected to see the noble looming over him, sword blade against his throat, but apart from his equine companions the room was empty. Zero then proceeded to attach Lily's saddle and reins, something that he was quite skilled at, and led her out of her box. She plodded along beside him serenely, showing that despite his haste, he had managed to ease her thoughts.

As soon as the pair left the stables, Zero started as an arm shot out to halt his movement. Masato looked him in the eye, but Zero was not able to tell what he was planning; the noble had a killer poker face.

"You are rising above your station, and many are unhappy," Masato said, deep voice giving nothing away of how he was thinking. "Leave Nine-Orchids. Go back to your filthy kind and leave the prince alone."

"What do you mean?" Zero said, angrily pushing the restraining arm out of the way. "I'm the same kind as you, even if I'm not a born vampire. And I don't know what you want to achieve, but _stop following me_!"

Masato smiled, a small, swift expression that disappeared almost immediately. "Oh, don't worry about that. After today, I don't think I'll be following you any more."

"Good. See you," Zero replied, leading Lily towards the training hall. Despite his casual response, Masato's words worried him. _What were that sour faced noble's motives?_

"Don't you dare walk away from me, you filthy half-breed bastard," Masato said, his deep voice almost pleasant despite his words. "Don't ever compare yourself to me, not when you have dirty hunter blood passing through your veins. Get back to your little hunter friends before the day is out, or you might find yourself having a fatal accident." With that, Masato was off, stalking across the yard without looking back.

Zero felt his blood turn to ice. Had Masato followed him to the hunter camp? But that didn't make any kind of sense. If he had, then he would know that Zero wasn't welcome there anymore, and that he posed no danger to the vampires in Nine-Orchids. Also, even if Masato didn't know that Zero was an outcast, why would he allow the hunter to go back and share the information he had learned with the enemies of the capital? None of it made sense, but it frightened him.

Would Masato really make good on his threat, or was the whole thing a bluff, manufactured by Takuma to be sure of where Zero's loyalties lay? Zero could not leave, so he would have to make sure and keep an eye out. But how could he? There was no way that he could stay alert when he was this tired, and his training was not even finished yet…

What should he do?

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((o)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Kaname signed the bottom of yet another sheet of parchment, sighing at the excessive amount of forms that had to be filled in. There were more than double the amount that he had filled in for the last Knight he had assigned to his house. But just because of his blood status, the ex-human Zero was taking a lot more of Kaname's time than he thought necessary.

But, of course, Kaname did not resent his decision. He wanted to make sure that Zero had a high enough social standing to ensure his safety. The only thing that Kaname was regretting was the intense training that Zero now had to undergo. The Elders had stated that Zero must complete the training before he received his knighthood. It was obvious that they hoped he would fail in the intense exercises, and Kaname had been a little worried at first. After all, Zero had been kept as a slave for many years and might not have the physical strength required.

Kaname had actually asked Takuma to make sure someone kept an eye on the young ex-human, and Takuma had assured him that Zero had been doing exceedingly well. Still, it would have been nice if Kaname had been able to spend more time with him. After the deliciously assertive way Zero had acted the last time they had been alone, Kaname longed to have more time to explore their growing relationship. But it would not do to spread rumours, or to hold back Zero's knighthood more than was necessary. It would be something wonderful to look forward to, he mused, and once Zero became his personal knight they would have plenty of excuses to explain why they were together so often.

Most nobles had one Knight in particular that they would use as their personal bodyguard, and although the Elders would be unhappy about it, Kaname planned on having Zero be that person. It would not really be suspicious, and he doubted anyone would guess that they were lovers just from such an action. It was more likely that everyone would feel the Kuran House was once again flaunting their liberal beliefs.

He was still unsure of how to deal with the election, but he was determined to show the other vampires that he was not a hypocrite, that he had never once forced himself on anyone. It disgusted him that perhaps the others had been thinking such things all along, and that Watanabe had been the only one brave enough (or angry enough) to voice his feelings out loud. He wasn't sure how to get his point across, especially without hurting Hitomi's reputation in the process. From what Watanabe had said, all the Elders knew that she and Kaname had an intimate past, but Kaname still did not want to bring such a thing up before the court.

There was another knock on the door of his office, and Kaname waited for Takuma to enter, wondering if his friend had any more bad news for him. From the look on the noble's face, he did. Why did Kaname have such awful luck?

"What's happening now?" he asked wearily, as Takuma plopped down in the seat next to him. "Let me guess, the Elders have agreed to my execution?"

"No, Kaname," the blonde said, smiling at Kaname's weak attempt to make light of his situation. "I know you haven't had the best luck lately, but I doubt things are _that_ bad. You just asked me to keep you updated on the progress of Zero Matsuda, so I decided to bring you the latest news."

Kaname felt his heart stop in his chest. "Has something happened to Zero?" he asked nervously.

Takuma gave him an odd look, and the pureblood was suddenly certain that his advisor knew he was in love with the ex-human. Kaname didn't care right now. "No… Its just, I've had Hitomi follow him on your orders, and today she reported that Zero had a run in with Masato. She said she didn't hear their conversation, but that it was obvious Zero was being threatened. She said that he looked very… upset, after the confrontation."

_I'm an idiot… _Kaname thought angrily.

For some reason, Kaname had thought Zero would be safe after the trial, when the pureblood had stated he would be using him as a Kuran Knight. Why had he been so careless? Zero was not a knight yet, and the name Kuran did not inspire as much respect as it once had. Now, before the knighthood had been carried out, it was the perfect time to kill the ex-human. Things would be different if Zero had been a noble, or even just a born vampire of low blood, but he wasn't. Until he was a knight, the repercussions for killing Zero would be relatively low. If his enemies waited another few months to make an assassination attempt on the young vampire, it would be tantamount to treason. But at this very moment, Zero was technically not under the protection of any House.

Kaname stood, deciding that he would go down to the training arena and make sure that nothing happened to Zero. Takuma rose beside him, reaching out a hand to clasp his shoulder.

"Listen, Kaname, I know that you have feelings for that ex-human, but going down there right now might be a very bad idea. So far you have got away with treating an ex-human with such respect, but if you were to invite him to live in the palace, then things would really heat up," Takuma said, correctly guessing the direction of Kaname's thoughts. "The Elders are already uncertain that you should inherit the throne, do you really want to add any fuel to the flames of their disapproval?"

"I can't just leave him to face this danger on his own, Takuma! If I hadn't have taken an interest in him, he would never be in this situation," as the words left Kaname's mouth, he knew them to be true. Even if he was furthering the damage to his wounded political reputation, he would not let the man he loved be hurt or maybe even killed because of an oversight on his part. He should have foreseen this possible outcome to his decision to knight Zero.

"Kaname…" Takuma's eyes reflected his thoughts; a mixture of respect for Kaname's need to help anyone, regardless of their blood status, and a feeling of irritation that the pureblood would damage his own social standing even more. "I understand your concern, but I don't think Masato is a threat. Its more likely that he is jealous of Zero's knew position, and just made some insulting remarks."

"It wouldn't be strange for me to go there, Takuma," Kaname replied. When it came to Zero, he would rather be safe than sorry. He raised a hand to stall Takuma's sceptical reply, elaborating on his own thoughts. "If there is no sign of danger, then I can simply say I was there to check on how my new knight is coping with his training. Such a motive would hardly be suspect. But if it turns out that he is in danger, then I will find him safer quarters in the palace. In either case, my mind is made up."

-x-

Kaname walked into the training arena with a growing sense of trepidation, but when he pushed the doors open he got a pleasant surprise. Zero looked to be in fine health, if a little exhausted, as he raised a small rapier to block the attack of his mounted foe. Zero's horse was smaller than his opponent's but he had very good control over her.

Kaname walked to one of the small benches unnoticed, deciding that he would stay to watch the end of Zero's session and then ask the younger vampire about his confrontation with Masato. As he lowered himself onto the bench, Kaname had to admit that it was quite exciting to watch Zero fight. He had removed his shirt, and was now riding topless, little beads of sweat tracing his beautiful, toned torso.

He had a gained quite a few bruises, but Kaname was pleasantly surprised at how well he was matching the noble vampire's attacks. As Kaname watched the two circle around each other on their mounts, he realised that Zero was starting to lose his grip on the horse's mind. The mare was starting to become a little jittery, flinching nervously at the presence of the carnivores that she could sense so very well.

Kaname saw the unease flicker on Zero's face, saw the lilac eyes widen as the horse reared unexpectedly. The ex-human dropped his rapier, clutching around the mare's neck as she kicked her forelegs in irritation. She dropped back to all fours, still skipping in fear, dancing unhappily across the arena. Kaname noticed that Zero's eyes were screwed shut in concentration as he struggled to do something that any born vampire could achieve in their sleep. Finally the horse stilled, allowing her rider to lead her back to the centre of the arena.

Kaname's keen, pureblood hearing could pick up the conversation between the trainer and the ex-human student.

"If you made a slip up like that in battle, you'd be dead, Matsuda! And then how would protect the prince? You really need to work on your horsemanship," the noble's voice was strained with the exhaustion that also claimed Zero. "But your sword skills are amazing for an ex-human." The last comment was spoken almost grudgingly.

"Thank you," Zero panted heavily. "I'll make sure to practise with Lily tomorrow."

A few more words were exchanged, and then the two parted. As Zero urged his horse towards the exit, he finally noticed Kaname's presence. He pulled on the reins ever so slightly, urging his mount towards the prince.

As the horse pulled closer to Kaname, Zero dismounted, looking awkward.

"How long have you been watching?" he asked, embarrassed. Now that he was standing so close, Kaname could not help noticing the way his muscled chest strained with the exertion of his workout. There was a towel on the bench, and Kaname handed it to Zero with a smile.

"Only about five minutes," Kaname answered as Zero towelled his dishevelled silver locks, which had stuck to his forehead with sweat.

"Great," Zero said, smiling self-consciously, "just long enough to watch me screw up, then."

"Hey, I heard the praise Kimura gave you. He doesn't say something like that unless he's really impressed."

Zero looked shyly up at him from under the soaking towel, pleased at the pureblood's words. "Why did you come here?" he asked, pulling his shirt back on and doing the buttons.

"I heard you had a conversation with Masato earlier. I take it that it didn't go well?"

Zero looked panicked and guilty, and Kaname wondered why his words had sparked such a reaction.

"H-how did you know that? Did you hear what he said?" Zero was now fully clothed, and had grasped Lily's reins firmly once more.

"No. I was told that he was threatening you. Is that true?" Kaname asked, unsure of how the ex-human would react to his question.

"Well… yeah. He told me to get out of Nine-Orchids or I might have an 'accident'. I wasn't really sure what to do, so I'm glad you're here."

Kaname felt his blood boil with anger. _How could anyone dare threaten someone he loved?_

"You're staying in the palace from now on, Zero," Kaname said, voice so firm that Zero seemed a little startled. "I should have taken better care of you, Zero, and I will, starting from now."

"You mean, I get to _live_ in the palace?" Zero asked, sounding shocked but pleased. "But what about Hitomi? She's my blood source, so shouldn't I stay near her? And I also have all my stuff back at the boarding house…"

_What's up with him…?_ Kaname thought. Was he really so attached to Hitomi? He had known they were good friends, and also that they shared blood, but he felt a little jealous at Zero's hasty attempt to stay by her side. He had sort of hoped that he and Zero might share blood one day…

"You can still share blood with her, if that's what you want, but I would feel better if you came to the palace tonight. I'll come with you to get your stuff from Kyoko's."

"Oh, you don't have to do that, Kaname," Zero answered. "I appreciate it, but I don't want you to go out of your way for me."

"It's no trouble, Zero…" Kaname could tell that they were now alone, and so he lowered his tone. "I love you, and I won't let anything happen to you."

"I love you too," Zero replied softly, lilac eyes highlighting the truth of his words. Kaname longed to take his beautiful, flushed face in his hands and kiss him soundly, but it was too risky. It meant a lot to Kaname to see that his feelings were returned so passionately. All his doubts evaporated at the love he could feel from the younger vampire.

Really, Zero was probably reluctant to leave his ex-human friends for the entirely high blood populated palace, and Kaname could not blame him. It would take a while before he was treated with the respect he deserved. The two walked Lily back to her new stable in companionable silence.

((((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))

They were nearly back at the boarding house, and panic was starting to claw at Zero's insides. He was very moved by Kaname's caring actions, but he desperately wanted the prince to go away. At first he had been unbelievably relieved to realise he would no longer have to deal with Masato, but then it had hit him; he was simply being tossed from one dangerous situation to another. How the hell was he going to get out of this without the Bloody Rose being discovered?

As they walked down the last street before they would arrive at Kyoko's, Zero realised that he was so deeply in love with the man beside him that he did not know what he would do without him. He did not know it was possible to have such strong emotions for another person, and he decided that no matter what, he would do his best to stay by Kaname's side.

"I'll stay here, if you want," Kaname said, as they paused before the boarding house door. Zero almost passed out from silent relief.

"Thanks, Kaname," he answered, smiling tiredly at the prince. He walked in to meet Kyoko in the lobby, and informed her of his change on location. He started up the stairs, noticing that now the blind panic of being discovered had gone, his pain seemed to have returned twofold.

He opened the door to his bedroom, still uncertain about how to deal with the Bloody Rose. He decided that he would wrap it in one of his outfits before packing it. He didn't think Kaname would let anyone search him, so he should be okay. He started tearing the clothes from his drawers first, deciding that even though he was sure nobody was watching him right now, he wanted the Bloody Rose to stay hidden as much as possible.

After he had piled the clothes untidily into a wide, cloth bag, he went to receive the weapon from his desk drawer. He pulled the little door open, and thought he would simply faint on the spot when he saw that the drawer was empty. His heart began to pound heavily, and though he knew where he had left it, he searched every single drawer in the room over again.

Who had done this? Zero was shaking all over now, and he ran his hands through his damp hair.

_Masato! _Was this how he would carry out Zero's 'fatal mistake'? Zero realised with a sinking heart that it wouldn't matter if he was living in the palace, Masato could have him killed at any moment by revealing the presence of the hunter weapon.

Zero sank to his knees on to the thick carpet floor, trembling and trying not to cry with exhausted fear. Why had he not simply gotten rid of the stupid thing? What had he been thinking…? He had spent such a tiny amount of time with Kaname, it wasn't fair that he would be torn from the man he loved because of a silly mistake!

Zero was wrenched from his misery as the floor began to shudder beneath him. _What the hell was going on now?_

Zero struggled to find his feet, jumping with shock as the bricks began to fall from the walls, letting him see the street outside. A huge wooden beam fell free from the roof, landing inches from him and ripping the carpet. Zero reached for the door handle in surprise, but he never got it open. He heard a dull thump, noticing vaguely that something had hit him, and then watched with a serene disinterest as the entire world began to dissolve before his eyes.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((o)))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Thanks for reading!

And thank you for the kind comments on the last chapter. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one too! =3


	12. Chapter 12

_Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight._

_Sorry I took so long to update! _

* * *

><p>The night had become rather brisk, and Kaname almost wished that he had went into the house with Zero. From where he was standing, he could see the thick tongues of flame that thrived in the hearth inside, flickering warm light through the window pane.<p>

He had noticed that Zero seemed reluctant to have him in his room, but he had already guessed that Zero was a very private person. Besides, Zero also seemed a little shy about his background; he remembered the nervous expression that the silver haired boy had worn when first wearing clothes from the city. Kaname smiled, visioning the mess that Zero's room might be in. It was terrible how Zero had been treated when growing up, but there was also something a little… _wild_ about him, and Kaname loved that.

Having heard Zero's side of the story, Kaname felt a little ashamed of himself. He was uncertain of Masato's motives; he had thought that Takuma had more control over the noble. It had actually been the pureblood's adviser who had recommended Masato as a palace guard. It was strange that someone Takuma had described as 'a little arrogant, but alright once you get to know him' was now threatening members of Kaname's court.

He really had let the other boy down, and he had not been thinking properly about how his actions might hurt the ex-human. It was perhaps a silly thing to feel, but Kaname really wanted to protect Zero, to keep him safe and look after him, even though Zero was a strong young man who was more than capable of taking care of himself. He longed to get Zero back to the palace, where he could feel that he was safe.

Kaname moved back a bit, leaning against the stone wall of the boarding house to keep himself out of the chilly breeze. He had heard Zero talking to the woman who ran the boarding house, explaining his hasty leave. Kaname hoped he wouldn't be too long now, but doubted that Zero would have a lot to pack anyway; he hadn't been here long.

Kaname jumped, startled as the solid stone of the wall began to tremble ever so slightly. _What the hell…?_

Nine-Orchids had encountered earthquakes before, though they were not frequent. However, this felt entirely different; the ground beneath his feet was still, and the boarding house was the _only_ thing moving. Kaname felt his heart jolt painfully. He closed his eyes, begging his heart to slow as he tested the air.

_There! _Kaname could feel the faint thrum of a vampire exerting their powers. They were trying to conceal their actions, but nothing could be hidden from a pureblood, not when he was in such close proximity. Kaname was horrified. This was too much of a coincidence. Someone was trying to hurt the man he loved!

Kaname jerked the door open, constructing a little bubble of tight air around him in a sort of force field. Nothing was happening yet, but he could feel that the other vampire had not reached the climax of their powers yet. Kaname would not allow himself to be hurt before he could make sure Zero was okay.

Kyoko was crouching under the desk in the lobby, looking frightened at the light shaking.

"Get out of here! This isn't an earthquake!" Kaname helped her stand. "Which room is Zero's?"

"The second on the right," she answered, "you get Zero, and I'll get Hitomi. I think they're the only ones in right now." With that she scurried off up the stairs, Kaname following close behind.

The pureblood extended his protective bubble to cover the other vampire as the building started to shake violently, bricks falling loose from the walls. Only the hardened air around them stopped a chunk of wood hitting Kyoko during its free fall from the roof. Unfortunately, Kaname would not be able to protect her much longer. He stopped at the door she had directed him to, whilst she hurried on up another flight of stairs.

He pushed hard at the door, feeling the rapid drumbeat of his heart against his chest as he realised the door was jammed shut. He pulled the door back towards him, ignoring the shriek of the hinges as they bent in a way they had never been intended to. Finally, the small metal bands snapped, and Kaname tossed the door to the side, terrified as the scent of blood screamed loudly from the room.

Kaname felt his knees go weak as he caught a glimpse of silver, almost hidden by wood and masonry. The wall opposite him had entirely disappeared, and Kaname was glad of his makeshift shield when it seemed the entire building was about to collapse onto their heads. He ripped the debris off of Zero, terrified of what he'd find. He distractedly heard the sound of two pairs of feet tearing down the stairs outside, and was absently sure that the two women were going to get out safely.

Kaname's manipulation of the air currents meant that he and Zero were effectively under a large, invisible umbrella, allowing the broken wood and tiles to slip right away. Finally Zero had been uncovered, and Kaname felt himself stop breathing. Zero was lying at a strange angle, in a pool of his own blood. Kaname was horrified to see that most of the blood seemed to be coming from his head.

Kaname bent to pick him up, hands shaking uncontrollably. When he turned Zero around, lifting him into his arms, he was both horrified and relived. Zero was breathing, and though it was not strong, the little warm bursts of air coming from his lips showed that he was at least alive. But now his head wound had also been uncovered, and Kaname saw the boy had a dent in his skull that leaked blood alarmingly. Kaname needed to get him out of here, _now._

Cradling the boy close, Kaname started making his way down the hall, trying to suppress the panic that was threatening to overwhelm him. Under the cascading rubble, Kaname thought he could make out a figure, and felt an intense swell in the vampire ability being used. Despite the growing need to get out of this time bomb, Kaname swept the clutter away with a burst of his will.

Masato was standing in one of the doorways, eyes tightly closed, concentration etched into every line of his face. He was standing a few feet from the dilapidated door of someone's room, oblivious to the collapsing building.

_Why is he here? _Kaname thought, readjusting his grip on Zero's limp form and pulling him close. _Why bring a building down when you're inside it? What the hell is going on here?_

A giant lump of carpeted floor caved beside Kaname's foot, material ripping and sliding down to crash onto the floor below. Even through all the noise, Kaname heard a disgusting, repulsive crunch, and looked up just in time to see a roof beam smash into Masato's skull, dropping the noble to the floor. Masato jerked a couple of times in the throes of death, and then the building abruptly fell still. It was such a shock after the earlier quakes, and Kaname swayed, almost allowing his foot to slip into the gaping hole in the floor.

The prince felt too shocked to even move, despite the fact that quite a few shards of rubble were still falling loose of the building. Masato's sudden death had repulsed Kaname, but he found that he could not take his eyes off of the remains of the noble's face. Something warm dripped to his hand, slapping his mind back into motion. Zero's blood had trickled down his face to drip onto Kaname's skin, reminding the pureblood of what he had been doing.

He carefully manoeuvred his way down the ruined, sloped steps, mind still struggling to make sense of things. Now that he was beginning to think straight, he found that he was angry Masato had died. He might never know why the noble had acted as he had. It could not have been a mere assassination attempt; there was too much of a risk that Zero would escape, and his ability to destroy the building would have worked just as well if Masato had been standing outside of the building. There had been _no_ need for him to die at all, and Kaname could not figure this mess out right now.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, cold air drifted over to meet them over the heaped shards and rubble that had once been the foundations of the building. Zero shivered in his arms, and made a soft groaning sound. Kaname bent his head to lap at the broken dent in Zero's skull, horrified at the way his body was reacting to the taste of the blood, but wanting the wound to heal as fast as possible. It was rather difficult to reach the door; in some places Kaname could see up to the open sky, and in others there was so much dilapidated rubble that he could not go any further.

Finally Kaname negotiated his way out, having to use his abilities to move some of the rubbish aside, and into the startlingly cool night air. Kaname could feel Zero shivering, and held him closer.

"Is Zero okay?" Hitomi asked, making Kaname jump. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed, noticing the blood tracing its way down his face.

"I need to take this boy back to the palace," Kaname answered, feeling drained. "Where's Kyoko?"

"She's already on her way to the palace," Hitomi answered, shivering lightly from shock and the cool breeze. "What's going on, Kaname?" she asked, lowering her voice.

"I really don't know, but you should come to the palace too. It might not be safe here."

Hitomi nodded, and the two set of for the palace at a brisk walk. Kaname was seriously worried about Zero, and he needed to get him alone. It was obvious that the falling rubble had hurt him badly, and Kaname was desperate to feed the ex-human his blood. He was starting to feel unbearably guilty; he knew that it was his interference which had resulted in Zero's current predicament. Kaname would never feel happy again until he had ensured the health of the man he loved. At the back of his mind, Kaname realised that this could be a huge setback for his political career, but decided that those thoughts could wait to later.

As he and Hitomi ascended the steps before the palace, Kaname was deeply relieved to see Takuma hurrying down to meet them.

"Takuma! I need you to check out the ex-human boarding houses immediately, especially Kyoko's," Kaname spoke, in a rush so that he could concentrate better on Zero. Despite his need to have the incident checked out, Kaname also knew that the tumbling masonry from Kyoko's might have harmed the other buildings around it. Kaname did not want to be responsible for any more death.

Takuma's eyes were wide. "What's going on, Kaname?"

"Hitomi, could you bring Takuma up to speed while I make certain Zero is okay?" Kaname was glad to see her nod, and started up the stairs again. Zero was wriggling a little in his grip, which was reassuring, but it was obvious that he was not lucid. Kaname was actually glad of that for now; he did not want Zero to vamp out on him now. If the boy woke up and felt the serious injuries he had suffered, he would be in great need of blood. Kaname was cradling his head against his chest, and was certain that if Zero woke he would go straight for the tantalising throat beside his face. It would _not _be a good idea to let the scent of pure blood flow through the halls of the palace.

Kaname reached his room with a feeling of vast relief, and opened the door with his will to allow him entry without shifting Zero. He carried the boy into his bedroom, not caring at the moment how suspicious such an act would seem to the Elders. He carefully lay the boy on the bed sheets, watching as the silver haired teen moaned in agony. His eyes were closed, but Kaname was almost certain that he was regaining his bearings.

Kaname sat beside the younger vampire, sweeping his fringe of beautiful snowy hair away from his battered forehead. Just looking at the bloodied wound made the prince feel a mixture of fear, and a terrible feeling of bloodlust that he despised himself for, but could not help. He knew that Zero was going to have a agonizing headache, and sitting up wouldn't help it, so he lay down on the bed beside him.

Kaname pulled them both up the bed until their heads were resting on the pillows, then guided Zero's lips to his neck. Zero groaned again, and began to struggle in his arms.

"Zero, you've been hurt. Please, take some of my blood. It will help," Kaname said as soothingly as he could, trying to gently urge the other vampire back to his throat.

To Kaname's surprise, both of Zero's calloused hands pushed into his chest as the ex-human tried to separate himself from the prince. His lilac eyes were open now, and Kaname could see the thin threads of crimson that snaked through his irises. But against all odds, Zero was not yet lost to his blood lust, even with that severe crack in his skull.

"Kaname? W-what's going on?" the ex-human's voice was raspy, and Kaname noticed that his throat was also ringed with purple and black bruises.

Kaname reached out to stroke the damp, blood streaked hair that framed Zero's lovely face, amazed at the self control Zero was exerting.

"You were hurt, Zero," Kaname repeated softly.

"But… what happened? Are you okay?" Zero asked, genuine concern colouring his voice, even whist the red began to bleed into his eyes more strongly than ever.

God, this man was so _strong_. Kaname felt a deep surge of love for Zero, much deeper that he would have thought possible for someone he had meet less than a month ago. However, the vampire's mental restraint made Kaname feel a little ashamed.

He did not think that ex-human's were inferior, but it was a biological fact that they were less able to cope with bloodlust than born vampires, and the control that Zero was able to force over his own body was staggering. The silver headed man really was unique.

Kaname had felt the burst of interest his body forced on him, despite his concern for Zero, but even though the other boy was becoming consumed with hunger his thoughts still seemed to linger on the prince.

"I'm fine, Zero, but _you_ were hurt. Please, drink from me…" Kaname cupped Zero's adorable face between his hands, and then steered the boy to his neck again. He shuddered as he felt the hot breath Zero was emitting against the skin of his throat, and almost cried out in frustration as Zero drew away again.

Kaname looked in his eyes once more, and saw that there was not a single fleck of silver or lilac in those expressive eyes. How was Zero still so lucid? Kaname saw the incisors gleaming between the ex-human's cracked lips.

"Are you sure? B- but you're a pureblood!" Zero exclaimed in a hoarse whisper heavy with shocked surprise. They were so close… Kaname could feel the other's heart beat against his chest. Why was Zero so surprised? Hadn't they already confessed their mutual love? Did Zero still feel himself to be unworthy of Kaname? Even worse, had Kaname done something to make him think so?

"Exactly. My blood with heal you faster than anything else. Please, Zero," Kaname said, twinning his fingers in the other vampire's hair, still sticky with sweat and blood. Zero allowed his head to be brought close to his lover's neck, not struggling this time, but still not biting either.

Kaname sighed in frustration. Why wasn't Zero taking his blood when it was being so willingly given? Most vampires would do anything to drink even a small sip of pure blood, so why was this stubborn young man refusing him? Kaname could feel Zero's breathing speed, heating the side of his neck. He gently rubbed his thumb along the ex-human's lower lip, opening the man's mouth and pressing his head closer, shivering as the ivory points pressed at his flesh lightly.

Kaname shuddered as the ex-human's hot tongue flicked out to trace his neck, and Kaname lowered his hands to clutch Zero's back and pull him closer. Zero was panting, and kissed and nipped Kaname's neck, wriggling a little in the pureblood's arms. Kaname felt himself becoming a little aroused at the feeling despite himself.

One last, soft kiss was planted low on Kaname's neck, and then the pureblood moaned as fangs slowly pushed into his flesh. It was an unbearably beautiful feeling, and Kaname could not help but arch his back instinctively, overcome with the pleasure of having Zero's fangs imbedded under his skin.

This was only the second time Kaname had been bitten, and it was the first time he had ever enjoyed the act with such passion. Takuma shared his blood with Kaname, but Kaname never reciprocated the gesture. Takuma tasted nice, but they were both friends, and there was never anything intimate in the act. It had made Kaname a little ashamed to hold his own blood from Takuma, but it would be unfair to allow his friend a taste of the powerful tonic of his blood.

Zero's teeth were fully sheathed in the pureblood's flesh, and Kaname could feel the vampire shaking against him. The prince could feel his blood coursing through his veins and into Zero's waiting mouth, and the sensation was stunningly erotic. Zero moaned at the pure blood hit his senses, and Kaname felt the warm hum of his voice against the damp skin of his neck. Kaname could not hold back his own ecstatic groan as the other boy drank deeply from his blood, pulling the heavenly liquid into his mouth with growing fierceness.

Zero wrapped both his arms around the pureblood's waist and held him tight. Kaname felt Zero's speeding heart pounding against his ribs, and felt his own quicken at Zero's delicious aggressiveness. But even though Zero was now feeding heavily, and was obviously caught up in blood euphoria, there was an underlying gentleness there which made Kaname feel even more in love with Zero than ever.

The ex-human was growling softly, sucking at the punctures he had made with his extended incisors, then slowly slid his fangs back into the twin wounds and pulling at them slightly. Kaname felt his stomach flip in arousal. Zero was taking a lot of his blood and it made his head spin, but God it felt amazing! It felt so good to give Zero this much of himself, and it eased the guilt he had felt earlier until all the prince felt was a dizzy kind of pleasure.

It was such a unique experience, the act of giving someone the very blood that kept you alive, and with Zero it was sheer perfection. Zero pulled his fangs from the flesh, and continued lapping at the blood he had tapped from the pureblood's creamy skin. Kaname wrapped his fingers in the short hair at the back of Zero's head near his neck, silently begging him for more. The prince got what he asked for, and Zero sank his teeth back into Kaname's throat swiftly, creating a new pair of puckered wounds.

Kaname's body felt warm and heavy, and he melted into the sheets as Zero started sucking the blood from his neck once more. It seemed that the pure blood had lowered Zero's inhibitions, causing him to take what he needed without reluctance. It felt gorgeous, but Kaname knew that he couldn't allow it to continue. Zero had taken enough of his blood a while ago, and Kaname really should have stopped it then, but he had been enjoying it too much. Finally, using all his willpower, he untangled his fingered from Zero's hair and pushed gently against the ex-human's shoulders.

Zero growled deeply, a beautiful sound that fed Kaname's arousal and almost caused him to let Zero do as he pleased. But his sense won out, so he pressed against Zero more strongly, pushing the boy down whilst raising his own body so he was straddling the younger vampire. Zero's fangs tore at his flesh aggressively as the ex-human was reluctant to cease feeding on the heavenly nectar of Kaname's blood, finally allowing himself to be urged down to the bed with a snarl.

Kaname looked down at the bruised form of the man he loved, watching the lavender flood back into his eyes, battling the scarlet and winning within seconds. Kaname _loved_ the control Zero had over his own body, and marvelled once again at the intense strength the young vampire possessed. It was an incredible turn-on for him.

Kaname felt a well of frustration as he recognised the guilt that Zero now wore plainly on his face. He knew that Zero was ashamed for taking from the prince with such abandon, but Kaname was actually impressed that Zero had been able to hold back as much as he had. Zero was such an amazing, fascinating person… why couldn't he see that?

"Zero," Kaname began, unwilling to let the boy apologise. "I _wanted _you to feed, you don't have to feel bad about it. Actually… I enjoyed it."

Kaname felt embarrassed at having voiced that admission aloud. But it was true, and if it made Zero feel better, then what was the harm?

"Kaname…" Zero reached out a hand to stroke at the pureblood's cheek. Kaname was still quite dizzy from losing so much blood so fast, and so he simply sat there, straddling Zero and using both arms to hold himself up. After allowing Zero to play with his silky hair for a while, Kaname lowered his head to kiss Zero deeply.

The two kissed passionately, both pleased at the taste of blood that was infused with their own unique flavours, making the contact incredibly delicious. Kaname's hands snaked down to trace their way up Zero's sides as he got entirely immersed in the beautiful caresses.

There was a sharp click, and Kaname jerked away from Zero, feeling his blood freeze in his veins. That had sounded so horribly like the door…

Kaname stood carefully, not letting his light-headedness get the better of him. Zero looked at him with a questioning glance, but Kaname shook his head silently. He made his way to the door, and felt his heart thud painfully as he noticed that it was open just a crack. He whipped it open, but his business hall was empty, the door at the other end already closed. Whoever had been spying was gone.

_Oh God! Who was it?_ Kaname felt the panic burst through him. What if someone from Watanabe's court had seen he and Zero? Kaname would be immediately discredited by the Elders, but Zero would be executed for feeding from a pureblood! Not even a Knight's title would save him this time…

Kaname closed the door and leaned against the heavy wood feeling certain that God must hate him. Why else would he have such disgusting luck?

Things could not possibly get worse…

* * *

><p><em>Thank you so much for reading!<em>

_I really enjoy writing this story, and I hope you enjoy it too!_

_Please let me know what you think! =3_


	13. Chapter 13

_Disclaimer: I don't own VK._

_Thank you so much for the reviews! Once again, sorry if I took a while to update. ^_^`_

)()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(

Kaname turned to Zero, wondering what he should do with him now. The initial panic had dispersed; if anyone tried to use this to blackmail him, he now had thought of a way out of it. He would simply tell the truth. It seemed a strange thing to do, especially in the political world, but Kaname figured that it would work. Zero had gained his knighthood by saving Kaname's life, so he would tell everyone that he had merely been returning the favour. It would make the Elders even more unhappy with him, but he figured that they would accept that reason, and would at least leave Zero alone. Still though, things were getting even worse for the election.

But who did have it in for Zero? Kaname knew that quite a few people deeply disliked Zero's high status in the vampire court, and Kaname was sure that quite a few Elders and nobles would be happy to see the end of the ex-human, but he had _never _thought that anyone would be bold enough to attack him outright. He was sure that Masato had been working for someone; he might have been jealous that Zero had become a knight, but he would never kill _himself _in the process. Masato valued his own life way too highly.

So, who had the noble been working for, and how had they been able to persuade him into his kamikaze attack? Kaname decided to go over the questions with Takuma later, he wasn't getting anywhere on his own, and sometimes just being able to voice a puzzle out loud made it a little easier to solve. So, he was back to the question of what to do with Zero.

He may be able to explain why he had fed Zero, but it would look deeply suspicious if he let the other boy spend the night in his chambers. It was a shame, because it would be so lovely to just slip under the covers and hold the other close… but it could never happen. The thought was a little depressing. Was this what the rest of their lives would be like? Sneaking around, sharing intimate moments and then leaving immediately, unable to show how they really felt?

Kaname would not let that happen. If he gained the throne then he would be proud to tell the world that Zero was his, and they would just have to deal with it. The Elders would still take charge of certain matters, but a pureblood's laws could not be undone whilst they were still on the throne. There were so many prejudices in this city… Kaname hoped that he could extinguish them all.

The pureblood walked to the top of the bed, where Zero had promptly fallen asleep after consuming the necessary blood, and been assured that he had not hurt the prince. He looked so stunningly beautiful, even with the dirt caked clothes and bloodstained hair. In his sleep, Zero looked so young, and so peaceful. Kaname reached out to push some of the sticky hair off of Zero's forehead to check the wound. It had been entirely healed, but Zero's body had still shut down, which spoke of more internal injuries than Kaname had guessed earlier.

Kaname slipped one arm under Zero's head, and the other under his knees, lifting him off the bed and into his arms. Unsurprisingly, Zero slept on, oblivious to the fact that his body had been moved. Kaname nudged the door with his will, opening it so that he would not need to shift Zero in his arms.

"Kaname, I -" Takuma paused. The two vampires looked at each other awkwardly over the top of Zero's sleeping form. Kaname felt his cheeks flush. _What was Takuma doing here anyway?_

Takuma had been leaning against Kaname's long table, obviously waiting for the pureblood, but he now pushed away, looking uncomfortable to see Kaname leave his bedroom with another man in his arms.

"I'm sorry. I'll come back later," the noble said, turning for the door.

"Wait!" Kaname said loudly. "I need to talk to you, Takuma." His advisor turned back, still seeming a tad uneasy.

"I need to find somewhere that I can keep him safe, Takuma. He saved my life… its only fair that I return the favour."

Takuma frowned. "Kaname, you shouldn't have brought him here. You know that Watanabe has it in for you, and the other Elders aren't too pleased either. Do you know how easy it would be for them to twist this into something… unsavoury?" there was no anger in his friend's voice, only worry, and a little frustration. Kaname understood his feelings. It seemed that every time Takuma helped him dig himself out of a hole, Kaname jumped back in, undoing everything the noble had done.

"I was there when he was wounded, and I couldn't just leave him to die. You know how badly he was injured, you know that he would never have survived without my blood. My chambers are the only ones in the palace that have scent charms strong enough to hide pure blood, so it was my only option. I care for him deeply, Takuma, and I think you already know that…"

Takuma looked at him with a mix of annoyance and pity. "Kaname, why would you do something so stupid! I understand why you saved him, but why would you let yourself _fall in love _with him? Haven't I told you a hundred times that I don't trust this man?"

Kaname understood why Takuma was irritated, but his words cut him deeply. "You of all people should know that you can't choose who you fall in love with. Your relationship with Shiki is not sensible; you could get caught at any time, and exiled from Nine-Orchids. But you love him anyway, and watching you two together I think you always will. And as for Zero… he saved my _life_! What more proof do you need that he is loyal to me?"

Takuma took a deep breath, running both hands through his hair. "I'm sorry, Kaname, I spoke without thinking. I just don't want someone taking advantage of you, and I still don't know that I trust Zero. What if this whole thing was a ploy so that he could get closer to you?"

Kaname also regretted his outburst. Takuma had always been very protective of the prince, and had informed him once that his kind nature might hand his enemies a weapon to hold against him. Because he was so overprotective of his Lord, Kaname doubted that Takuma would trust _anyone_ who got close to him.

"Takuma, I trust Zero. Please, trust _me_ when I tell you he's a good person. Besides, its entirely unlikely that anyone would trap themselves in a collapsing building on purpose. Please, just help me find him a somewhere safe to rest and we can talk afterwards."

Takuma nodded, but he still seemed uncertain about the whole thing. "Who saw you bring him here? I mean, there probably weren't too many people in your wing of the palace, right?"

"Yes," Kaname answered. "The only people who I met in this wing were my guards."

"So we can take him to one of the empty servant rooms, and say that as your knight, those are his new quarters. After all, his is under your employ right now, so no one could object to him being placed in your part of the palace. And after the near death experience, I doubt anyone will read anything suspicious into it."

"Of course," Kaname said. Takuma always seemed able to point out the obvious, when Kaname himself could not see it. He honestly didn't know what he would do without him. "Thank you."

Takuma treated Kaname to a worried smile. Even though there was a lot on his mind, his almost brotherly love for Kaname was clear.

()()()()()()

Zero easily slipped his mind over Lily's, moving her body around like it was his own four legs that he controlled. He swiped his sword towards the noble in a lightning fast motion, making the other bring his own sword up in defence. Zero then brought up his other sword, smacking the other man hard in the ribs, pleased with his feint. The noble leaned over his own chestnut stallion, winded by the strength of Zero's blow.

It had been a full two days since Zero had indulged in the sweet, heavenly essence of Kaname's pure blood, but he could still feel the effects. His entire body felt so strong, it was as though he had been unbearably weak before, and only Kaname's blood could change that. Zero knew that he would never, ever be satisfied with anyone else. The prince had told Zero that was okay, that Zero could drink from him whenever he wanted. Zero would still have to have an official blood source though, to stop the spread of rumours.

Kaname had still not employed a personal knight, and so he was now deciding to make Zero that person. Nobody would find it suspicious if they spent a lot of time together then. In fact, Zero would actually be expected to spend every waking moment with Kaname. It was rather exciting, really.

"Well done, Matsuda," the noble panted. "You've improved in technique as well as strength. You're almost ready to be knighted."

Zero was pleased, even though he had only achieved this feat with the help of Kaname's blood. "When _will_ I be knighted?" he asked. Nobody had actually explained this to him yet.

The noble straightened himself, and swung down from the saddle. Zero dismounted the serene and calm Lily so that they were eye level.

"I reckon that after your first trial, you'll be ready," the noble said seriously.

"What? But, wasn't our sparring the first trial?" Zero asked curiously.

"No, this has just been training," the noble answered with a smile. At first the two had not been too sure of each other, but after a time they had thawed and become a little closer. "The hunters haven't raided the capital in a while. You will be expected to help out when they do, and you will be judged on your performance. But don't worry, Matsuda. I think you'll do great."

Zero felt his stomach lurch in horror. He didn't want to fight the hunters, not even after they had made plans to kill him. He had grown up with those people… how on earth was he supposed to _kill_ them?

"I- Is there any other way? I'd rather not see those hunters again, after the way they treated me," Zero hated how cowardly that sounded, but if it worked then he wouldn't care. He thought about Chihiro and her baby. What if she was forced to go on the raid? What if Zero was ordered to kill her? After she had helped him escape it was terrible to think that Zero would be asked to make such a choice. Zero would not be able to do it, and then he would lose his place in the vampire city forever… Where would he go then?

"I can't believe that you'd have such an attitude, Matsuda! Now is the time to face up to your demons, fight your fears! Besides, you won't be much good as a knight if you are unable to protect your Lord. Sometimes you'll have to do things you hate to fulfil your duty to your pureblood. Anyway, I think you'll do well, despite your history with these people."

Zero, suitably chastened, started to lead Lily back to her stable. His trainer had been right; what good would he do as a knight if he hid whilst others put themselves in danger? But what should he do, especially if he met Yagari or Chihiro? Zero led Lily into her box and removed her reins, patting her long face and scratching behind her ears as she wiggled her head in enjoyment.

Zero decided not to think about it right now. He had already decided to devote himself to Kaname, so surely the matter was already sorted, right? Besides, it was highly unlikely that he would meet Chihiro out of all the hunters that went on the raids.

Zero headed back to his new room at the palace for a change of clothes. He was covered in sweat from his training, even with the new strength Kaname's blood had given him. Unfortunately all his clothes had been destroyed with the boarding house, but Kaname had got him some new outfits, some of which were unbelievably expensive.

He walked through Kaname's wing of the palace, still feeling a little uncomfortable under the gaze of the palace guards. Still, it was simply amazing to be living in a place like this. His new room was much smaller than Kaname's but decorated in a similarly tasteful way. In fact, it was actually a bit bigger than the one he had inhabited at the boarding house, and contained even more furnishings.

Zero pushed his room door open and entered, letting the door fall closed behind him. As soon as he was out of sight, he peeled the sweaty shirt over his head and tossed it on the floor. It felt so nice to be rid of the damp, clingy material. Another great feature that his new room possessed was his own en suite bathroom, and he went there now to wash the sticky sweat from his body.

He stepped into the shower, pulling a lever to release the hot water. He scrubbed every inch of his body, deeply enjoying the exotic smelling soap he had been provided with. Life here in the city was amazing, he mused for the millionth time. Zero had never enjoyed washing himself before, but the difference when using heated water was astounding. He found now that the running water was very soothing, and showers were something that he almost looked forward to.

Zero stepped out of the warm spray reluctantly, grabbing the beige towel from the rack on the wall. His silver hair was once again plastered to his head, and Zero rubbed at his unruly locks with vigour. He dried himself off, and then brushed his still damp hair carefully. He had been invited to the palace by the prince, and his appearance would be a reflection on Kaname.

After he had finished up in the bathroom, he walked into the bedroom again, thinking about how great it was to simply walk naked into his room, not worrying about anyone barging in. He pulled the middle drawers out, dressing himself in the fine, soft new clothes a little self-consciously. He still was not quite sure how he'd gotten so lucky.

He reached into the top drawer for a pair of socks, and felt icy terror flow through his blood. There, on top of all the assorted socks, was the Bloody Rose. It sat there, gleaming evilly at him, and Zero reached for it with trembling fingers. _What the hell?_

The metal was cool beneath his finger tips as he turned it over and over in his hands. Who had done this? Was it the same person who had taken it in the first place? Zero _knew _that Masato had not been found with a hunter weapon; Kaname had filled him in on the details he had missed, and had not mentioned anything like the Bloody Rose on the noble's person. It seemed like a detail Kaname would have included…

Had Kaname been behind the theft in the first place? No… that wasn't likely. Kaname had been very sweet to him these past few days, even though he was buried under tons of political work. Zero didn't think that the man would be that calm around him if he was afraid of betrayal.

So who was it?

A loud knock at the door startled Zero so much that he dropped the Bloody Rose. It landed heavily on the sock pile, sliding off to clatter loudly on the wooden drawer bottom. Zero slammed the door shut on it guiltily, then called permission for the person to enter.

Hitomi walked in hesitantly, giving him a small smile. Zero had not seen her since the night that their boarding house had been destroyed, but was relieved to see that she looked alright. Zero couldn't help noticing that she looked a little sad, though.

"I have to admit I was a little worried when Kaname carried you out of the building, but you look good, Zero, " Hitomi said, reaching out to pat him on the arm.

"Thanks," Zero said awkwardly. It was common knowledge that Kaname had fed him. The pureblood said that he was simply returning the favour, which of course engendered many different reactions from the city people, the nobles especially. The Elders were uniformly unimpressed, just as Zero would have expected. Hitomi obviously knew that Zero had taken pure blood too, but he felt uncomfortable talking about it for some reason.

An awkward silence was stretching now, and Zero wondered if Hitomi was one of those people that condemned a low blood drinking from a pureblood. Did she think that Zero was getting above his station?

"Listen, Zero," Hitomi sighed, "I'm sorry if I'm acting a little distant, its just that… I saw you and Kaname that night."

That didn't really change anything though, did it? Whether Hitomi had heard the gossip or caught them in the act, surely her opinion would be the same.

"Zero… that wasn't the bite of a prince and his knight, it was the sort of bite shared by lovers…" she said, voice a little strange.

Zero felt a tremor of fear at her words. He knew that homosexuality was thought of as something evil here. It would be terrible to lose Hitomi as a friend over this, but what of she told people about he and Kaname's true relationship? Maybe he could talk his way out of this… But although Zero's memory of that night was fuzzy, he could distinctly remember sharing a beautiful and intimate kiss with the pureblood afterwards. _Crap!_

"Do you remember when I told you that the man I used to share blood with was dead? I was lying, because I didn't want to get him in trouble. Kaname fed me too, you see, when he saved me from falling into madness. He and I… we were…well, we were together."

Zero felt an unexpected surge of jealousy. Even though he knew that he probably didn't deserve it, Kaname was _his._ Zero was deeply annoyed that Hitomi could so calmly tell him that she had had the pureblood first. Suddenly, Zero felt more angry than afraid.

"Don't worry though, I won't tell anyone," Hitomi said, turning to leave.

"Wait!" Zero said. "Why did you tell me this?"

"I- maybe I shouldn't have said anything, but I just wanted to tell you outright, now that I know how you feel about him, than have you find out later and hate me for not telling you. But I hope this won't change our friendship."

Zero wasn't quite sure how to feel. It was amazing that Hitomi was so open minded about their unconventional relationship, but he still felt angry at her, even though he knew that it was not her fault. He wished that she hadn't said anything at all.

"Do you… aren't you mad that he and I are… you know?" this whole thing was so awkward.

"Not really. I know that we weren't meant to be together… I'm sorry for bringing this up, Zero. Maybe we should just pretend that nothing happened?" she seemed to be just as embarrassed as Zero was.

"I think that would be a good idea," Zero said, a little relieved at a way out of this. He did not want to feel weird around the best friend that he had here.

Hitomi smiled, this time a little more genuinely, and left. Zero sat on the bad, realising that he was still in his bare feet. This morning, he had been feeling so relieved. It had seemed like things were finally going to be simple; he was going to become Kaname's body guard and be able to spend every day with him. His loyalties had been decided, and although it was worrying, the Bloody Rose had been out of his hands.

Now though, he was facing an even more hectic time than before…

He had learned that in order to be Kaname's knight, he would have to fight the people who had raised him. The Bloody Rose was back in his possession, and Zero wasn't sure what to do with it or what its reappearance meant. And, for some reason the fact that upset him the most, Kaname used to be in a relationship with Zero's best friend.

What a mess…

()()()()()()

_Please tell me what you think, even one review can be so inspiring! =3_

_Thank you for reading._


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer : I don't own vampire knight.

_Sorry for the long wait, my laptop and internet were not working properly. ='(_

_I'm not sure if anyone even remembers my story at this point! I also feel a bit self conscious if I read my writing back, so there might be a few inconsistencies. It's been such a long time since I have written anything, so I'm not sure if the story will flow the same, but here goes! =3 _

_Hope you like it! _

_=D_

()()()

Things were a little stiff between Zero and Hitomi, but as Zero was to begin special training to become a worthy bodyguard for the pureblood they would not get much chance to see each other anyway. Lots of vampires in the court were outraged by Kaname's decision, and to be honest, Zero could not blame them. As Zero was an ex-human he lacked the special abilities of born vampires. Thankfully, his hunter blood seemed to even out his weaknesses, though he was often too afraid to push his skills as far as he could in case someone realised that he had dual blood.

The word on the lips of many of the court was that Kaname was once again flaunting his dangerous liberalism, and while it lowered public opinion of the prince, Zero and Kaname were just glad that their relationship had not yet been found out. It was still hard for them to spend any time together. It seemed that every time Kaname was free of his paper work and politicking, Zero would be forced into another violent training session. Both men desperately awaited the day that Zero would become Kaname's private guard. They would have all day to spend together then, and some of the higher blood nobles even kept their personal guard in their sleeping quarters to defend them in the case of an assassination attempt.

As Zero's training increased in intensity, so did his resolve to become a master at what he did. Kaname's kindness and selflessness acted as a fuel for him. Zero could still not truly comprehend that the prince had allowed him to partake in his heavenly blood. Pure blood was well known to be one of the most addictive and beautiful tasting things in the world. It was also strictly taboo for a low blood to partake of such glorious fare, and therefore entirely unthinkable that a 'half-breed' like Zero had been allowed the pleasure of sampling that wonderful nectar. Despite all the things that Zero had heard about pure blood, nothing had readied him for the actual, overwhelming flavour. There were no words in Zero's vocabulary that sufficed, all he knew was that it had been a little slice of heaven for him.

Unfortunately the young hunter had been unable to drink from Kaname since the night of Masato's death, leaving him with deep and intense cravings. It seemed, however, that Kaname's blood had strengthened him in some strange way. He deeply craved the delicious essence that flowed under the gorgeous man's veins, but at the same time, he wasn't actually _hungry_. It was like Hitomi's craving for cookies, even when she wasn't in need of food. Zero felt like he could go _longer_ without blood, even though he still yearned for it deeply, simply for the pleasure aspect.

Zero turned off the hot water faucet, and slipped into the deep tub, wincing as his skin balked at the heat and the unpleasant scent of sulphur fluttered to his nose. His body accustomed to the temperature quickly, allowing him to enjoy the warmth and let it sooth his sore body. He reclined against the porcelain lip of the bath, sighing as his muscles finally relaxed for the first time since he started his new training.

Instead of simply sparring with other trained vampires, Zero was now having a lot of endurance training. He had always secretly prided himself on his high level of fortitude, but he was still finding this training very tough.

He lay with his head under the hot water with only his face poking out, letting the sweat get washed from his silver hair. As he floated in the relaxing water his mind went back to what Hitomi had told him three days ago. He had wanted to forget her words but found that they ate at him constantly, surprising him with the level of anger they engendered. He really hadn't thought that he'd be such a jealous person, but it turned out that no matter how much he tried to pry the matter from his thoughts it would not leave.

Zero grasped the little sponge that floated by his feet without raising himself from the water. He raised it to his chest, plucking at the porous material absentmindedly. He knew that Kaname cared for him a lot, and even though Zero had low self-esteem at times, he could no longer deny the fact. Kaname had saved his life. Zero needed no more proof than that.

But even though he was certain of Kaname's love, he could not help but wonder if he still had feelings for Hitomi. After all, Kaname had never said that he was gay, and might still find women attractive even if he did fancy Zero. Zero knew that he was being absolutely ridiculous, not to mention upset at the lack of trust he was showing Kaname, but he could not help but feel angry about how close Hitomi often seemed when she was with Kaname. He knew that Kaname seemed to be a very loyal person, and therefore would never see anyone behind Zero's back, but it stung to think that maybe Kaname only wanted him because he couldn't have Hitomi.

Zero sat up suddenly, water sloshing from side to side in the tub and running in streams down his bare back. He picked up the bar of soap, rubbing it briskly against the sponge and then placing it back in its holder. He started to scrub the dried sweat from his skin vigorously.

His thoughts were silly. And even if absolutely every doubt he had turned out to be true… well, he'd just have to force Hitomi from the pureblood's mind! He would never stop loving Kaname, so he would just have to make sure the prince knew that. He would never be the first person that Kaname had been with, but he would make sure that he was the _best_ he'd ever had!

Zero suddenly flushed, from his ears all the way to his chest. What had he been thinking? He hadn't ever slept with anyone, let alone a man. If he and Kaname ever did go all the way (at this thought, Zero's stomach fluttered wildly in arousal) he would more than likely be clumsy and awkward than anything else.

But then he thought of all the times that he had held the pureblood, the times that he had kissed those beautiful lips… Zero hadn't been clumsy then, though it had been his first time doing that too. Every time that he got close to Kaname, his body seemed to react on its own. His doubts and his insecurities melted away, leaving only his love, his intense desire for the beautiful, exotic man before him. It seemed that at such times he knew what to do instinctively. From what he had been able to tell, the prince had enjoyed Zero's touch, and his kisses, just as much as the hunter adored his. Surely there was nothing to worry about.

Zero had finished scrubbing his entire body, and he squeezed the excess soap from the sponge, enjoying the sensation of the foamy liquid squirting between his fingers. Zero rinsed his hand, setting the sponge at the side of the bath and removing the plug from the floor of the large tub. He got out and towelled the water from his body, then rubbed at his sopping silver hair, marvelling all the while at the thick, soft towels they used at the palace. Where they came from was still a mystery; Zero placed his dirty clothes and towels in a large wicker basket, and they would appear again, soft and sweet smelling, folded neatly in his drawers. Zero had never caught sight of the people who did it.

Kyoko had offered the same service, so when Zero had been told to dump his clothes into the big basket he had moved the Bloody Rose. He had toyed with the idea of placing it under the mattress on his bed, but had thankfully realised seconds later that the bed clothes would probably be changed too. After much panic and a lot of poking around, Zero found a loose tile under the belly of the bath tub, which was raised on four little silver clawed feet, and had put it there. It had only just fitted, and Zero had been afraid that the tile would have been tilted. If that happened there was too much of a chance that anyone brushing the floor would catch the edge on the bristles of the broom, pulling back the tile and uncovering the weapon. The tip of the barrel had pressed against the tile, but Zero had pushed his arms under, laboriously chipping at the plaster of the floor until the gun was snug without being revealed. Still, it was simply a temporary solution. He needed to decide what to do with the damn thing once and for all.

He sauntered into the bedroom, pulling on his clothes and deciding to simply lay on the bed for a while. He was still sore from his training, and wasn't really sure what to do with the rest of his day anyway. He was just passing the door when it was knocked loudly.

()()()

Aido swivelled in his chair to face the blonde ex-human, noticing the pensive expression on her face. Hitomi had been popping into his office every so often, and Aido felt irritated at her, but also a little… well, a little glad for her company, perhaps. He found it quite hard to admit to himself, though, and he could _never _admit it to her.

He knew that she kept coming to see him because she was amused by the way he reacted around her. She was always able to get a rise from him, even when he willed himself with all his might to ignore her. Today however, she had simply slipped into his office and sat at his desk with out talking much. Aido found her uncharacteristic silence a little disconcerting.

"What's wrong?" Aido asked her, trying to make his voice sound aloof and uninterested, and only half succeeding.

Hitomi didn't answer for a moment. Her chin was rested on her palm, her elbow on his desk. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts, so Aido asked again, with a bite of impatience despite his worry.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Oh," Hitomi said, pulling her self back to the present. "Oh, nothing. I just wondered how Zero will get on with his training. I heard that the training for personal bodyguards is _really _intense, and when it's a pureblood he's guarding the training is bound to be at least twice as hard."

Aido remained silent, a feat he was usually incapable of, as he contemplated her words and her serious demeanour. He did not really like Zero, but neither did he dislike him as much as he tried to make out. He worshiped Kaname, but he also knew that when it came to politics and personal matters, the pureblood only wanted to consult Takuma. Aido saw how Kaname seemed to have found a kindred spirit in the unlikely form of Zero Matsuda, and as much as he disliked Zero's blood status, he was glad of his effect on Kaname.

Kaname's political status had been lowered by Zero, but the ex-human had also saved the prince's life. In that, if nothing else, Zero had been worthy of the pureblood's attention.

"Why do you ask?" Hitomi asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Are you worried about me?" she teased.

Aido could have kicked himself as a blush spread across his face. He had been with many beautiful and high class women at the court, but none of them left him feeling as awkward and bashful as Hitomi.

"A-as if!" Aido spluttered. "Why would _I _be worried about _you?_ Get over yourself, 'D!"

Aido turned his chair back to his research papers as Hitomi laughed heartily at his stammered and unconvincing rebuke. Aido found himself blushing even more heavily. The door opened and he turned to see who it was.

"Aido, Lord Kaname wants you to go see him," Kain said, his voice sounding bored but his eyes shot Aido with a mistrustful gaze. It was obvious that he expected Aido had gotten into trouble… _again_.

"Really?" Aido asked. "Where? His business room?"

"No." Kain had a strange look on his face. "The city morgue. What have you been at, Aido?" he asked, exasperated, but more than a little worried.

"What? But… I haven't been doing anything!" he saw Kain's incredulous look, and balked. "Wait… are you saying that you think I _killed_ someone? Kain! What's the matter with you?"

Kain's worried look broke into a slow smile. "I didn't think you'd killed anybody, Aido. I was just wondering how you managed to tangle yourself in another of Kaname's problems. I guess you just have a knack."

_x_

Aido made his way down to the cool basement level of the hospital, feeling anxious. He really had _no _idea why he had been caught up in another of these situations. It was true that he was often called on for his medical expertise, but never to the _morgue_. Besides, Kaname didn't even use his skills in most medical problems, unless there was something serious… or secret.

_That must be it! _Aido thought. _Lord Kaname needs someone he can trust for this, that's why he picked me._

Aido swelled with importance as he reached the lowest level of the building, noticing the chill that came from the underground rooms. His thoughts were confirmed as he saw Takuma waiting for him. Takuma had no medical training, and would only be here if Kaname needed people he could trust.

"Hello Hanabusa," Takuma smiled. "Lord Kaname is waiting for us."

Aido returned the noble's greeting and followed him through the corridors. As if he had heard Aido's silent question, Takuma started to explain the situation.

"Lord Kaname needs someone from his court to help him in an autopsy. We were hoping that you'd be of help, though we both know that this is not _exactly _your expertise. You're the most talented at biology of all the people Lord Kaname trusts."

Aido once again felt himself swell with pride at Takuma's words, though he was a little nervous too. He had never attempted an autopsy, although he had watched a few performed during his training and was pretty certain of the procedure. He was determined to do his best for his precious Lord Kaname.

He was led to another chamber, this once closed off and rather cramped. He entered to find the prince waiting beside a thin bed covered in a crisp white sheet. Aido bowed respectfully to Kaname as greeting, waiting as Takuma joined them and closed the door behind him. Aido looked to Kaname for orders.

"Thank you for coming, Aido. I hope I did not pull you away from anything important?" Kaname asked, inclining his head ever so slightly in Aido's direction.

"Oh, no, of course not Lord Kaname," Aido answered immediately.

Kaname smiled at the noble's hasty reply, and placed his hand on the corner of the sheet. "I'm sorry if you find the sight upsetting. The body has been badly damaged."

Kaname pulled the sheet down, revealing a blackened, crushed skull, and mangled body. The corpse had indeed been through a lot, and had been broken in so many places that Aido was almost unable to distinguish which part of the body was which.

Now that the cloth had been removed the smell of blood was heavy in the air, but none of the vampires reacted with lust. This person had been dead for at least a few days, and the blood had dried, mixing unpleasantly with the sickly scent of decomposition. Aido did recoil a little, but he had been working in medicine for a long time now, and had seen a lot of stomach turning things.

He wondered how he was expected to find out the cause of death. The amount of blunt trauma administered to the corpse was overwhelming, and Aido was not skilled at how to examine dead people.

"Aido, I was wondering if you can help me. I want to know if this man had his will manipulated before his death."

Aido doubted that enough of the person's brain had survived the battering for that kind of investigation, but he tried to pick up the lingering wave of vampire power anyway. He strained for a little while, hands held flat above the disfigured body, one over the head, the other over the heart.

After swaying gently for a few minutes he was forced to give up. "I'm sorry, Lord Kaname," he said, obviously upset at his failure.

Kaname sighed loudly. "I suspected it would be impossible to say at this stage whether he had been manipulated or not, but I had to try. I'm sorry, Aido. Thank you for your time, please, go back to what you were doing."

()()()

Kaname felt deeply frustrated. He had so far come up with no explanation to the assassination attempt. He had delved into Masato's history to try and find something that might be useful, but had found nothing of interest. Masato was the last of his family line, and while he was a noble, his family had never held sway in the court.

Kaname was certain that Masato had been forced to be in the building that day, but who had forced him to be there? Watanabe? But that didn't make any sort of sense. Watanabe desperately wanted to keep him away from the thrown, and Zero was actually helping that goal. Nobody liked the idea of an ex-human gaining status so swiftly, which turned people away from the Kuran House. Why would Watanabe want to get rid of the person who was doing his work for him?

So, if it wasn't Watanabe, it must simply be a member of the court whose ideals about blood purity outweighed their need to keep Kaname from gaining his rightful title.

Politics, intrigue, assassination attempts… Kaname was so unbearably sick of it all. He had been heading for his own chambers, but turned down the opposite hallway. He desperately wanted to see Zero now. He wondered if the ex-human was at his endurance training again and felt a pang of loneliness. He wanted the other vampire to help him to forget all these horrible, tainted secrets and plots.

He paused when he reached Zero's door, feeling nervous. It was true that Zero was in his own wing of the palace, so the only ones to see him enter the ex-human's chambers were the palace guards. However, guards were just as likely to chat and gossip when off duty as anyone else, so Kaname had avoided seeing Zero until now, as much as it had pained him to keep away. But to hell with them. He _needed_ to see Zero right now.

He knocked on the door with a sharp wrap, and was surprised as the door was opened almost immediately. Zero was dressed in a simple black shirt and trousers, and his silver hair was damp and messy. Kaname smiled warmly, thinking that the other vampire looked so terribly adorable like this.

Kaname slipped in to the room past Zero, feeling amused at the surprised, but happy, expression on Zero's face.

"K-Kaname?" he said. "I… I was just out of the bath… that's why…" Zero pointed to his tousled hair shyly, blushing under Kaname's garnet gaze.

Kaname laughed, and pulled Zero closer to him, pressing a soft, loving kiss against those perfect pink lips. Zero's hands immediately wrapped about Kaname's waist, and the prince pulled out of the kiss with a happy sigh.

"I just really needed to see you today, Zero. I missed you," Kaname breathed against the other vampire's lips. It had been too long since he had held Zero, and for some reason he felt a little overwhelmed right now. He leaned in to capture his mouth for another sweet kiss, and let out a moan of excitement as Zero pressed his lips back with force, pulling Kaname against the length of his body with the hands on his waist and controlling the kiss.

Kaname just about melted at the ex-human's dominating actions. It was wonderful to realise that Zero must have missed him even more than he had missed the ex-human. Zero parted his soft, warm lips, pressing his hot tongue into Kaname's mouth, tasting his wet heat with barely contained excitement.

Kaname pushed his tongue against Zero's in a half-hearted attempt to gain control of the kiss, only to have Zero's tongue battle against his own, the ex-human's callused fingers moving to grip Kaname's hair firmly and tilt his head to a more pleasing angle. Kaname's eyes fluttered shut in absolute rapture. It felt _so good _to have Zero dominate him like this, and he allowed Zero to tug gently at his hair and tilt the pureblood's chin into the kiss.

Kaname could feel both of their hearts thundering against his chest, and began to lose himself in the mind numbing pleasure of Zero's kisses and caresses. One moment Zero would be so gentle, the next he would be pulling at Kaname's glittering ebony locks in heated passion. It was so wonderful…

Kaname realised that Zero was pushing him towards the bed, and felt such amazing excitement and anxiety. Zero moved his legs between Kaname's thighs as they slowly moved backwards, and Kaname realised that the other vampire was rock hard and trembling. He felt fire surge to his own groin in response to this interesting new sensation, and barely noticed as the back of his knees hit something hard, toppling him onto the bed. Zero was on him in seconds, peppering him with beautiful, heated kisses, and grinding his hardness slowly down onto Kaname's flat stomach.

Kaname wrapped his arms around Zero's back, pulling him even closer.

This was absolute heaven…

()()()

_Please tell me what you thought, its been such a long time since I've written anything. And a little bit of smut, at that. =P_

_Please let me know what you thought! _

_Thank you for reading! 8D_


	15. Chapter 15

_Disclaimer : I don't own vampire knight. If I did it would be a delicious yaoi…*^_^*_

_Thank you to every person who has left a review, and also thanks to anon for explaining the difference in the citrus scale! Lol. In this chapter I have finally faced my fears and attempted a proper lemon, so it's helpful to have the right terms!_

_Oh, and I'm sure you're all sick of my whiny comments here, but I really have to say that I have never written a sex scene before and I'm feeling really self conscious about it… So if you have anything helpful to say I'd be real glad to hear it. _=]

_Anyway, enough of my boring rants!_

_Hope you like!_

()()()

Zero backed Kaname onto the bed, feeling more aroused than he ever had in his life. He found himself totally desperate for each kiss, each touch of the pureblood's beautiful ivory sculpted skin. In the few seconds that Kaname was not touching him Zero felt insane with need, and his body quickly found the pureblood's laying on the bed.

A little part of him was humiliated by his brash actions, but the rest of him was overjoyed with how good it felt to me so dominant, especially with a man who outranked him in every possible way. It was delicious to see a _pureblood _tremble at his touch, to allow himself to be possessed by the hunter. A part of Zero simply wished to go ahead and do whatever he wanted, the little part that still despised Kaname's kind for what they had done to him.

But whenever he pulled his head away, grinding his hips down into that perfectly toned stomach and enjoying the immense pleasure it brought, he knew that what he felt was more than just simple lust. He loved this man. This was the first person to reach out to him, to look past _what _he was and see _who _he was. He would not simply cater to his own pleasures and ignore Kaname's, not when he had finally found someone he cared for with all his heart.

That was not to say that he would give Kaname the reins, however. He was having way too much fun being in control of their passion right now. He felt Kaname's deceptively slender hands curl round his back, pulling him down even closer. Zero moaned in rapture against the pureblood's sweet, pink lips; it seemed that Kaname was more than willing to be at Zero's mercy.

The hunter moved to sandwich one of his legs between the pureblood's thighs, and was very pleased to feel that Kaname was just as hard as he was. The prince took the opportunity to rub his needy arousal against Zero's thigh, enjoying the friction. They were both panting now, overcome with desire for each other, but neither wanting to move things too fast.

Zero felt Kaname's hands moving up his back, pulling his shirt with them. He sat up, helping the other vampire get him out of his restraining top, and then started pulling the pureblood's clothes off. Soon, both were down to their boxers. They took a moment to admire each other, both enjoying what they saw. Zero felt his cheeks begin to redden under the pureblood's scrutiny.

The other vampire was entirely flawless, his skin so pale, his face so beautiful, his high cheekbones painted with an adorable blush. Zero found himself marvelling over the prince's perfect torso, which was toned without being muscled, and thought of the alluring, raw power concealed beneath the deceptively delicate body. How could he ever hope to be worthy of this man?

But Kaname seemed to be quite satisfied with the bargain. He took Zero's face between his hands, guiding him down and then pressing his soft, moist lips against the ex-human's. Zero parted their lips and searched for Kaname's luscious tongue in the wet heat of his mouth. This kiss was slower than those before, but just as enjoyable. Zero was supporting himself with his hands resting beside Kaname's head, their dancing tongues and flushed lips the only place they were touching.

It was deeply erotic, in a strange way, but Zero could take it no longer. His arousal was swollen with lust, and throbbing unbearably. He pressed himself down onto Kaname's perfect body once more, groaning in relief as his hot member met Kaname's warm stomach. Even through the material of his underwear, Zero was sure that the other man could feel how wet his member was becoming.

Kaname's hands wrapped around his back, pulling their chests close, and Zero could feel the drumming of his heart. They stayed that way for a little while, enjoying the feeling of their warm bodies pressed together, without their confining shirts to get in the way of their wandering hands. Zero accidentally brushed against one of Kaname's nipples, and was surprised as Kaname groaned into his mouth in sheer joy. Encouraged by this unexpected reaction, Zero rubbed both of the other's nipples this time, noticing that both of the little nubs were hard under his touch.

"Zero!" Kaname moaned, pulling out of their kiss to voice his pleasure.

Zero felt his stomach jolt with both love and lust, overjoyed to have Kaname utter his name in such a sexy, heated tone. He continued to play with the pureblood's nipples, watching with intense pleasure as the prince writhed and groaned under his touch. Zero felt Kaname's hands glide up his back, lightly grazing his skin in the most delicious way. The pureblood tangled his fingers in Zero's hair, still damp from his bath.

Zero, missing the sensation of dominance that he had experienced before, gripped Kaname's wrists and pinned them to the bed on either side of his head and plunged his tongue deep into the pureblood's mouth. He held Kaname's wrists tightly, not painfully, but enough to feel entirely in control. He was surprised when the pureblood raised his hands to once more tangle in Zero's hair, shrugging off the bonds with no discernible effort at all.

Zero felt a little miffed, having momentarily forgotten the strength that a pureblood possessed, but the thought was immediately pushed from his mind as Kaname guided his head to his warm, enticing throat. Zero thought his body might burst with arousal at the thought of tasting that heavenly essence once more. He pressed his lips against the skin of Kaname's pale neck in a soft kiss, shuddering as he realised that he could _feel _the blood that flowed so close to his waiting mouth, covered only my the prince's creamy skin.

"K-Kaname?" Zero questioned, his voice husky with need.

"Please, drink from me, Zero," Kaname pleaded. Zero could not help noticing how seductive Kaname sounded when he was begging like this. Heat surged to his abdomen, both at the delicious plea, and at the idea of tasting such a wonderful substance again. The part of him that was not entirely consumed with arousal realised that Kaname was really laying himself open to the hunter, and was amazed at the trust that he was being given. It actually frightened him a little, how much he loved this man. It was astounding how much he could love someone when they allowed him to.

Zero had only drank from another's throat once before, and had been almost unconscious at the time, so this actually felt like something new to him. A voice inside his head told him that this was wrong, that to give into his vampire urges was to betray his hunter heritage. The voice sounded very much like Yagari's, and Zero decided to ignore it. Yagari was nothing to him now; the man wished him dead. Zero allowed the passion of the moment to rise again, absorbing him in its strong grip and pulling him under.

Quivering with anticipation, Zero slowly allowed his fangs to pierce the flesh of Kaname's exposed throat. The blood spilled into his mouth in a rush, and Zero nearly lost himself in the immense, mind-blowing pleasure. There were simply no words that could explain how simply marvellous this taste was, the euphoria that it brought. Zero was certain that he could never get enough of this intoxicating liquid heaven. He sipped deeply, finally gaining his senses enough to pull away before he took too much. He licked the punctures and felt Kaname shiver.

When he raised his head and looked into Kaname's sparkling garnet eyes he was surprised to see that his pupils had dilated and his irises had darkened. It was obvious that Kaname had found a lot of pleasure in letting Zero feed. Zero had only shared his own blood with one person before, and had not felt much pleasure from it, so Kaname's reaction had not been expected.

The two immediately fell back to their passionate kisses, swirling their tongues in each other's mouths, now flavoured with pure blood, and grinding their arousals against one another. Within seconds, both vampires were overwhelmed with the sensation of holding one another, tasting one another, and feeling the heat of each other's burning passion.

"Kaname… I want you…" Zero whispered against the pureblood's neck, pleased at how the prince shuddered.

"Mmm… I want you too," Kaname answered, eyes glazed with lust.

Zero sat up, slowly removing his underwear to reveal his desperately hard erection, copious amounts of pre-cum beading at the tip. Kaname made a hungry growling sound as he eyed the hunter's member, and Zero began to remove the pureblood's underpants as well, felling that he would die if he could not take the other man right this moment.

Kaname was fully aroused too, and Zero was deeply turned on by Kaname's totally exposed body. He pushed the pureblood down, lowering his own body down between his legs and letting Kaname's hardness press into his stomach. The sensation only increased his lust. He pushed the dripping head of his manhood against Kaname's entrance, and wondered how he would fit. Kaname's hands were once more wrapped in his silver hair, and he could feel Kaname's hips grinding lightly into his stomach. It was obvious that Kaname wanted him, but Zero, despite his haze of aroused pleasure, really didn't want to hurt him.

For the first time, Zero was uncertain of what to do. He was still deeply aroused, however, so he lowered his hand to stroke himself whilst he wondered how exactly he could make love to the other vampire without hurting him. His fingers found the pre-cum glistening at the tip of his hardness, and it helped his hands glide up and down his shaft with smooth ease. The sensation was amazing, and Zero gasped in joy as he came up with an idea.

Slowly, he rubbed two fingers in the slick substance, leaving them slippery with the fluid. He ran his index finger around Kaname's entrance, then gently slipped it inside to the first joint. Kaname moaned, throwing his head back and letting his glittering ebony waves frame his beautiful face. Zero recognised the pleasure written all across the pureblood's expression, and it encouraged his to slip the digit in even further. Kaname moaned deeply in the back of his throat, urging Zero to continue by wrapping his legs around Zero's back and pulling him closer.

The heat inside of Kaname's body was overwhelming, and when Zero thought about burying his manhood into that tight warmth it made pleasure pool in his stomach. He pumped the finger in and out, enjoying the erotic sensation and the pureblood's lust filled moans. Zero felt his own arousal twitch in anticipation, and he felt his patience fray. He slipped another finger into Kaname's entrance, gasping as it was swallowed by the pureblood's hot body.

This time he detected a little discomfort on his lover's face, so he moved his fingers slowly, in and out, despite his impatience. After a while, Kaname began whispering his name in a pleasure laden voice, and it was too much. Zero pulled his fingers out, and then placed his wet tip against Kaname's entrance. He started to push into Kaname slowly, moaning uncontrollably as he entered the other vampire's tight heat.

Kaname tightened his legs around Zero's back, still chanting the ex-human's name like a mantra, and Zero could not help but to press himself in faster. The pureblood stopped murmuring his name, moaning instead. Zero gripped Kaname's waist, pulling him closer and pressing himself in deeper. Zero paused when he was fully sheathed, and almost whimpered in pleasure. Kaname was so unbelievably tight inside, and he squeezed Zero's manhood, eliciting the most intense pleasure that Zero had ever experienced.

Kaname's manhood was rock hard, and pressed into Zero's stomach insistently as their aroused nipples rubbed against each other's chests. Kaname had buried his hot face into Zero's shoulder, arms and legs wrapped around his back. Zero could feel Kaname's warm breath flutter against his neck as they both got used to this breathtaking new feeling.

Zero began to move, pulling back lightly and then pushing in all the way, making Kaname gasp his name again. He repeated the movement, shifting his weight a little, moving his elbows to a more comfortable position. As he pushed back in, Kaname cried out loudly. At fist Zero was worried that he had hurt him, until Kaname's legs pulled him deeper, silently urging him to thrust again.

Zero obeyed the request, and they both moaned in ecstasy. Whatever he was doing, it was obviously giving Kaname an enormous amount of satisfaction. Zero felt it was safe enough to pick up the pace, and they both moaned as the new rhythm doubled their pleasure.

Soon, Zero could feel the heat coiling in his stomach, and knew that he would not last long. He wished for Kaname to come at the same time, but was too embarrassed to voice such a request aloud. He held on for as long as he could, pumping his arousal in and out of Kaname's entrance, both of them panting and moaning at the sensation.

Finally he felt Kaname erupt his hot come onto both their stomachs, giving a deep, pleasured moan and digging his fingernails into Zero's back as he got caught up in the intense pleasure. Zero gave two more deep thrusts, then exploded deep inside of the pureblood, almost passing out as he was overwhelmed with ecstasy.

Neither of them moved for a few minutes, savouring the blissful afterglow as they came down from their extreme high. Finally Zero lifted himself off of the pureblood's body, lying down beside him on top of the duvet. The two lay panting beside each other, and now that the wonderful experience was over, Zero felt a little awkward and uncertain. He noticed the towel that he had been using to dry his hair, and got up to retrieve it. He cleaned up the traces of their passion, suddenly unwilling to look into Kaname's eyes.

"Zero," Kaname said softly, watching as Zero cleaned his stomach without looking at him. The teen reluctantly raised his head to meet Kaname's gaze.

"I love you, Zero," Kaname said, cupping his cheek. "I love you."

Zero was overwhelmed. It was true, entirely, unbelievably true. The gorgeous, intelligent, wonderful pureblood prince loved him. It was written all over his face, behind those captivating, garnet eyes. How had this happened?

Zero was horrified to find that he was close to crying. Kaname pulled the damp towel from his hands, throwing it to the floor and urging the ex-human to lie beside him. Zero allowed himself to be guided to the bed, wrapping his arms around Kaname's waist and nuzzling his face into Kaname's shoulder.

"I love you so much, Kaname," Zero was annoyed as his voice cracked, and hot tears prickled at his eyes.

The prince turned so that they were lying face to face, forcing Zero to show his tears. He wiped them away with his thumb, and pressed a soft kiss against Zero's lips. The lay sat for a while, gazing at each other, holding each other as they both began to fully comprehend the love they shared.

_x_

Kaname wished that they hadn't torn each other's clothes off like they had. His suit was crumpled and it would be obvious to anyone with half a brain cell what had been going on. He wasn't too worried about the noise they'd made, as the nearest guards were posted down a different hallway from Zero's.

Zero had redressed himself in a new outfit, and was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking uncomfortable. Kaname felt a deep surge of love for him. It was obvious that the teen did not feel that he deserved the pureblood, and though Kaname honestly thought that was a ridiculous conclusion, he could understand how Zero had picked up such a thought.

Blood purity was important in all vampire societies, so many people would say that he was not worthy of a pureblood. Kaname hated all of those idiotic and outdated views. He loved Zero with all his heart, much more than he had ever thought he _could _love anyone, but because of the societies rules, he would never be allowed to love him freely. They would be forever hiding, expressing their love only behind closed doors, when Kaname wished to tell the whole world how deeply he loved this boy.

Zero still hadn't said anything since proclaiming his love, and Kaname could only assume that the young vampire was embarrassed for taking so much control over their lovemaking. Although Kaname had enjoyed his dominance immensely, he decided not to mention it to Zero yet. When he was in the heat of the moment, Zero was incredibly passionate, but both before and after any such encounters, the ex-human became shy and uncertain. In all honesty, Kaname actually found his actions quite adorable.

There was a knock on the door, jerking Kaname from his thoughts and sending an icy chill down his spine. He met Zero's equally frightened gaze, and then dashed into the bathroom, closing the door tight behind him.

His heart was hammering in his chest. If anyone found him like this it could mean Zero's execution, and the ruination of his political career. Through the fear, Kaname felt a deep surge of anger. It shouldn't be like this. His love shouldn't be belittled just because he and his lover were the same gender. With his new anger came new determination. He _would _claim the throne! He would become king, and then he would abolish all this hideous bigotry.

There was a second loud knock, and Kaname realised with a sense of dread that the room smelled distinctively like sex. He hoped Zero would be okay.

"Hang on, I'm just out of the bath! What is it?" Zero's voice rang out, managing to sound grumpy, but not entirely hiding the nerves he was feeling.

"Get your ass out here, Matsuda! There's a raid going on. Hunters are invading the city! I don't have time to wait for you, but make sure to get down to the barracks immediately. They've never tried something this big, so we need all the men we can get!"

()()()

_Thank you for reading!_

_I would really love to get feedback on this chapter, as I found it hard to write the lemon. I'd really appreciate any comments and welcome constructive criticism. =D_


	16. Chapter 16

_Hi everyone! Thanks for the reviews and the story favs. _

_So, its been a loooong time since I've been on this site, and I don't even know if it is still popular, or if its gone the way of myspace. (Yes, I'm old enough to remember that ^_^; ) _

_Anyways, for a while I wasn't sure if there was any point in continuing to write, as I obviously don't have the skill to go any further than fan fiction, which is why I haven't updated in such a long stretch of time. However, a friend recently told me that if you enjoy something then its perfectly alright to keep it as a hobby. _

_So, I'd really love to start writing again, and I hope some people still remember this ancient fossil of a story. Its been almost two whole years since I updated 0_0 where the frig does time go?!_

_Anyways, back to business! If anyone still likes this story, or if any new readers decide to take a look and like what I've written, then please review! =3_

* * *

><p>Kaname's heart kicked into double speed at the shouted command. Was Zero ready for something like this? Kaname desperately wished to accompany him to the battlefield, but after the disastrous results of his visit to the disassembled hunter camp that would be much too risky. It was incredible, but the hunters still had enough knowledge of the old poisons and ancient charms to actually <em>kill<em> a pureblood.

In all honesty, this revelation had deeply shocked the young pureblood in the aftermath of the assassination attempt. His kind were naturally impervious to the problems that plagued low bloods, and there was even a wide gap between the strongest of nobles and a true pureblood. It would not have been easy to charm the poisoned dart that had almost killed him, and it spoke volumes of the hunters' skills. They had to have had at least one Master Hunter in their midst, but if they did then that meant they had been seriously holding back during their raids.

Perhaps the reason to that was obvious; they had wanted to keep their full strength hidden until they got a chance to attack the pureblood himself. That strategy had almost worked too, Kaname thought with embarrassment. He had simply been so sure of his near immortality that he had joined the search party without the slightest worry for his own health.

But these thoughts disturbed him more now. If the hunters had enough skill to take down a pureblood, then Zero would have no chance. If they came equipped with the same darts they had shot Kaname with then Zero and the other recruits would be in huge danger. A toxin strong enough to affect the pureblood the way it had would kill Zero, or any ex-human, in mere seconds.

After Kaname heard the soldier retreat from Zero's door, with another yelled order for Zero to get his ass to the barracks _now,_ he pushed open the bathroom door to join his lover. Zero's face was pale, his exotic tan almost obliterated in his fear. Kaname dressed himself, struggling with what he should say now, what he should do.

Zero was fully dressed by now, but he had yet to answer the soldier's orders. He was running his trembling fingers through his messy silver hair, looking close to panic.

"Zero," Kaname started, but was unsure how to continue. It would be fantastic to simply tell Zero not to go, to let this threat be handled by the Kuran Knights and the other city guards, but Kaname couldn't do that. Zero needed to pass this test to become his personal Knight, and finally gain the social status that would protect him from Kaname's many adversaries.

He knew he could not destroy his public image any further, especially on Zero's behalf; the last thing he needed was having his enemies know just _how_ much he cared for Zero. However, he still couldn't believe he was even considering the course of action that seemed wisest right now, and it made him feel like a total bastard, not to mention a traitor to the one he loved.

The move that made the most sense right now was for the prince to stay safe and cosy in his living quarters whilst the man he loved risked his very life to protect the people that, as a pureblood, were really Kaname's responsibility. But it was the only reaction to the situation that the Elders would accept, and if Kaname did not gain political support, and _fast_, then he could kiss the throne goodbye, destroying his parents' ideals and any chance to change the laws that so desperately needed to be changed.

Zero seemed to have figured this out already, too. He was visibly trying to pull himself together, to dispel his obvious fear, and he offered Kaname a nervous smile.

"Don't tell me not to go, 'cause you know that I have to do this. I just wish the timing had been better," Zero said, silver lilac eyes meeting garnet. He was still trembling a little.

"God, Zero, I just wish with all my heart that I had never put you in this situation. And now that you're already in so deep, I want nothing more than to accompany you to battle," Kaname said hoarsely, realising for the first time in an age he was having to hold back tears.

"I know," Zero replied, and gave Kaname a warm, genuine and loving smile. "But I know these guys better than you do, and this is supposed to be my job."

Zero moved in closer, putting his hands on Kaname's waist, pulling him close and pressing their foreheads together. His beautiful eyes were swirling with emotion as he pressed a warm, firm and passionate kiss against Kaname's lips. As they pulled apart Kaname felt almost dizzy with emotion, even though the kiss had been a simple, closed mouth affair.

"I love you, Kaname," Zero said, "I don't deserve you, but now that I've got you I'm not letting you go. So don't worry, I'll pass this test, and the next time I see you, I'll be your personal knight."

Zero flashed him one last smile, but his eyes betrayed that he didn't feel half as confident as he was trying to make out. Then he was out the door, and Kaname heard his combat boots rap against the marble floor as he made his way from the safety of the palace to the danger of the barracks.

* * *

><p>Zero's hands were quivering as he slipped the blade of his freshly sharpened katana into its sheath. He was in the stables, preparing himself and Lily, and the few horses still in their stalls where whinnying and stamping their hooves with anxiety at the sounds of the conflict outside. Once their vampire riders returned, all of their fears would be soothed, making them fit for battle and no danger to themselves or their vampire masters. But for now the powerful sense of being surrounded by predators and the thick, haunting scent of blood was driving them a little crazy.<p>

Zero had to admit that the smell of blood was irritating him too. For some reason he had never thought about the fact that, during a battle, blood was likely to be _everywhere_. He was well aware that nobles were better able to suppress their bloodlust, but the situation was bound to bother even them. Zero was in no way hungry, had in fact just fed upon the most powerful, pure blood in the city, but the scent was still managing to get under his skin.

He regretted leaving Kaname so soon after they had been so intimate, and wished deep down that he _had_ stayed with him, in the safety that the man had come to represent to him. But this situation was not going to go away simply because he wished it to. He had to fight this fight, no matter what the outcome.

His heart was pounding, but by now he felt almost numb inside at the prospect of his own death, at Hitomi's death… and perhaps worst of all, the death of any of the hunters. After all, hadn't they been counting on him? And hadn't he stabbed them in the back immediately after leaving their camp?

But those thoughts no longer held him in long, painful indecision. The hunters were _wrong_. Their ideals (and consequently his own until recently) had been built upon past prejudices, outright lies, and old angers that needed an outlet now that their original cause, Shizuka, was gone.

The beautiful time he had spent with Kaname only moments ago proved that he owed more alliance to the Kuran heir, to the new world he wanted to build, than the false views of the hunters. The new world would not be perfect, no world was capable of that, but at least everyone, human, vampire and hunter alike, would be on equal footing for the first time in millennia.

Zero's thoughts on his surprising new loyalties were disrupted as he began the job of strapping on Lily's armour, a task which his mare definitely did not approve of. Once again extremely thankful for the blood Kaname had given him, Zero captured her mind with ease. He encouraged her to be still, tied the last knots on her neck guards, and opened her stall. As he mounted her his stomach was filled with a huge swoop of fear.

He had no idea what he would see in the conflict, or _who _he would see. He urged Lily into a steady gait, and was hit even harder with the sounds of battle as they left the training area. There were men yelling commands, people shrieking in fear, and the distinctive sound of gunshots. Zero's heart stuttered in panic. Guns were still not widely used, and the vampires may have superior speed and powers, but as far as Zero knew they did not train in long range weaponry. He hoped that none of Yagari's special charms would be piercing through anyone he cared for, or through himself, for that matter. With the scent of so many different types of blood travelling through the night it was impossible for Zero to pick out any one person. He would not know if any of his friends were hurt until he was in the midst of things.

Lily desperately did not want to move towards the sounds of violence, and only with the help of the pure blood he had received was Zero able to keep her under his control. Another solider, a man he vaguely recalled from training, shot by the young hunter on a large war horse, yelling at Zero to pick up speed.

Zero did as he was advised, and Lily's hooves clattered on the cobblestones more heavily as they picked up the pace. Finally, rounding the blocky façade of a large hotel, Zero was reunited with his one of his old hunter family. Once again, Lily's legs were working as though they belonged to him, and he stopped her dead in her tracks.

There were only three people in the street before him, one of which, a hunter, was very clearly, and unmistakably, dead. The vampire that had charged past Zero only seconds ago was still moving at speed, but his sword was unsheathed and bloodied now, extended from his body as he made yet another fatal blow.

Zero saw the blade strike home, piercing the last man, a man he now recognised as having been a good friend of his father, right through his chest. The horseman jerked his sword roughly from the dying hunter almost absently, urging his mount onward again without pause. He clattered out of the narrow street, not looking back.

The wounded hunter swayed, chest covered in thick scarlet runnels of blood, and raised the handgun he still clutched, pointing it straight at Zero's face.

Zero had almost frozen at the sight of the bloodshed, realising numbly that he was woefully unprepared. He had of course known that the people he once loved, the people who he had once believed loved _him_, were going to die tonight. But to see the killing of such people in the flesh, and so soon into the fight, was more than he could stand.

But finally Zero's mind, trying to recover from those thoughts the best he could, focused on the gun trained on his head. It was, of course, one of Yagari's specially crafted anti-vampire weapons. Zero was not terribly frightened for his own life, and not just because of the numb state of his emotions. The man was struggling to keep standing, and the gun was beginning to sway from side to side as he gradually lost control.

The gun fell from his hand at the same time as the man collapsed to his knees. He was taking huge, whooping gasps, and blood was beginning to trickle from the corner of his mouth. Finally, Zero urged Lily towards one of the last remaining friends of the parents that he adored so much.

"Mitsuo…" Zero whispered, trembling, uncertain of what to say. No matter what he did, this man was not going to live long.

At the mention of his name, the middle aged hunter raised his head, staring directly into Zero's eyes. Zero shivered, eyes wide as he beheld the look of absolute hatred in the man's gaze, but still his emotions seemed to stored somewhere far away, leaving him cold and numb.

"Don't you… fucking _dare_… call me… by the same name… that your father did," Mitsuo was speaking through long, painful gasps, damaged lungs trying to suck in enough air and failing. "You don't… deserve to have… the Kiryu name… _traitor!_"

"M-Mitsuo…" Zero said once again. His heart felt constricted by the hunter's words, and he didn't know how to react.

"Burn in hell… _vampire_…" Mitsuo finished, and this time it was obvious he was never going to speak again. The amazing strength he had used to keep hold of his life for so long was almost gone, and he slumped onto the cobblestones, and into a pool of his own blood with a sickening sound.

Zero was frozen in his saddle, shaking, but unsure which emotions he was even feeling right now. His chest felt horribly constricted, and his breaths were coming in harsh gasps that eerily resembled Mitsuo. The fingers locked around Lily's reins were so cold he could barely feel them, though it was not a chilly night.

He had already made up his mind earlier. Kaname's goals were just, and his methods peaceful, much more so than that of the hunter group. He _knew_ that he shouldn't let Mitsuo's words sting him like they had, but he still felt as though his body was made of ice.

_Mitsuo knew my parents much better than I ever did, spent way more time with them, talking with them… _

Zero felt sick as he considered that, if his parents _were_ still alive, they might feel the same way about him as their friend had. The thought of his parents hating him, _loathing_ him… it was enough to bring all of his emotions surging back with gusto.

Sobs racked the ex-human's body as he was totally overwhelmed by so many emotions: fear, panic, misery, a deep feeling of inadequacy, and worst of all, the thought of being a source of shame to his parents. He wiped one fist over his streaming eyes, shuddering, but trying to control himself before he became hysterical.

It may seem like an eternity had passed, but in actual fact, less than half an hour ago Zero had been in his room, making love to the man he loved. He owned it to this very same man, the man who had saved his life, given him a home, and the first real love he had ever felt, to do his duty and protect the city. Trying his hardest to slam a steel door down on his turbulent emotions, Zero once again urged Lily towards the sounds of the larger conflict.

Twisting his way through all the side streets and marching steadily down the main streets, Zero finally reached the battle. Most of the conflict seemed to be taking part in the small city centre in the low-blood district, the place where he had first visited a café with Hitomi. It seemed like an event that had happened such a long time ago, but his sense of time had been distorted by the events of the night.

The cobbled ground had been littered with bodies, and Zero tried his hardest not to look too closely. He didn't think he could face it if he found any of his new friends, or the old ones. But his eyes kept straying to the carnage, and without meaning to he had picked out a few of the hunters he had known, and some of the vampires he knew as faint acquaintances. From what he could see, the vampires had lost a much larger number of people than the hunters. The vampires in Nine-Orchids were very healthy, and would not disintegrate upon death like the level E Zero had once shot. He thanked god that none of the vampires appeared to have Hitomi's shock of blonde hair, and that the hunters present were not people he knew particularly well.

There were still some mounted vampire Knights, but they didn't dare try to cross the small sea of bodies, fearing to trip up their horses. But for the most part the fight seemed over now. Most of the hunters in sight were either badly wounded, or making a hasty retreat. Zero knew that the main objective of the group was to dart in, cause as much death and destruction as possible, and then get the hell out. It seemed ludicrous that he had once idolised these cowardly men, longed to join in their pathetic games.

Zero's nerves were starting to unwind a little, as he realised that the fight was over, thankfully without his contribution.

Then the bullet hit him, slamming into his left shoulder so hard he almost swayed of off his horse. In his shock, he lost control of Lily's mind, and she shrieked with mad panic, trying to buck him from her back and make an escape. He closed his mind down on hers within seconds, regaining his control.

He was terrified to look at his shoulder; all he felt from that point was a strange, wet heat, and so he looked for his attacker instead. After a few seconds he finally locked eyes with the man who had shot him, and was somehow both shocked and yet unsurprised to see his master, Yagari, a handgun in one hand, and a bitter, mirthless smile on his face.

"I didn't want to do that," the older hunter said almost casually, leaning against a building that Zero vaguely recognised as a bakery, "but you should be glad I didn't bring my shotgun this time."

The vampire knights were barely thirty feet away, and were starting in his direction, but Yagari didn't so much as flinch. "Do what you came here to do, Zero. I don't want to kill you, so do what you know is right, and bring this city of filth down. Or the next one goes right through your head."

One second Yagari had been in front of Zero's stunned gaze, the next he had all but disappeared down one of the many narrow alleyways that crisscrossed the city. Thankfully, Lily was able to fit down most of these side roads, and Zero immediately sent her racing after his old teacher.

"Master Yagari!" Zero yelled, thundering after the man, somehow always keeping him within sight, but out of reach. He had no idea what he would do once he caught up with the Master Hunter, _if_ he caught up with him, but his surging emotions had gotten the better of him, urging him into a chase.

In the glimpses Zero caught of his teacher he saw that the older hunter didn't even seem to be running. He must have been holding a lot of his strength and abilities from Zero, even when they had been training together. But then again, the man had lied about a lot, so this should hardly have been a surprise.

The pain in his shoulder was beginning to make itself heard, and it was hurting like hell with every jolt Zero took upon Lily's saddle. His left side appeared to have been fully marinated in his blood, and the fact that the pure blood still in his system hadn't gone to work on it meant that the bullet had most likely been charmed or poisoned.

Every step that Zero took in pursuit of his mentor led him further from the city centre, further from the medical attention he knew he would need, but he still didn't allow Lily to slow down. He knew they were nearing the city gates, and that Yagari would soon be out of the city and out of his life once again.

As the roads widened, opening onto the entrance to the city, Zero finally let Lily canter to a stop. Yagari had been out of sight for the last two turns, and in the distance Zero's keen vampire/hunter ears could hear the loud thud of hoof beats, racing across the grass.

The pain in Zero's shoulder was fast becoming unbearable, and Zero was extremely grateful to hear more hoof beats, these heading towards him. Zero turned Lily, half with his mind and half with the reins he still clutched in his right hand to see who had trailed him.

Approaching him were two of Kaname's personal Knights, and Zero, mind hazy with pain, urged Lily towards them in a sluggish gait. Seconds later he was slipping from the saddle, head rapping hard on the cobblestones as he lost consciousness.

* * *

><p><em>And here it is, the first chapter I've typed in almost two years. =3<em>

_Please leave a comment and tell me what you think, even if it is just to offer criticism (hopefully of the constructive variety)_

_Thank you for taking the time to read! _


	17. Chapter 17

_Hello guys! Once again thank you to anyone reading my story, and to those who took the time to review. I really appreciate it! _

_MadAndInBloom, I'm sorry if I let you, or any other readers, down with the last chapter. To be honest, I just kind of got the urge to write something, and decided to write the chapter and post it in one night, at about 3.40 am. I should probably have re-read it first, and made sure it wasn't too bad or OOC. I'm really grateful that you took the time to tell me what you thought, and so I promise I'll try harder with the next chapters, if you're willing to read them. =)_

_Anyway, on with chapter 17! Please review._

(())(())(())(())(())

Kaname sank down into the soft embrace of his favourite armchair, amazed that the hand holding his cup of tea was not shaking. He was sure that his pure blood will was the only thing keeping him from showing just how nervous and wound up he was.

Takuma had settled himself on the sofa opposite his friend, setting his own teacup and saucer on the thick mahogany coffee table between them. The young noble had been in the business district, making sure that Kyoko's boarding house and all its facilities were back up and running as soon as possible. This had taken quite a lot of effort and funding, but Kaname insisted that the heap of rubble be removed and the house rebuilt. After all, these accommodations, and the entire street they had been built upon, had been a part of the Kuran House's project to help the lower bloods to build their own lives, and not fall back to slavery or prostitution in order to support themselves. He wanted to show that their homes would be rebuilt just as quickly as if the owners were nobles.

Because of the many different people Takuma had visited on Kaname's behalf, he was late in getting back to the palace. He wasn't even halfway back when the gunshots and screams alerted him that something was _very_ wrong. He had sought the pureblood out as soon as he discovered all he could on the attack, hoping to bring Kaname up to speed and unwind his nerves a little.

As it was, Takuma had arrived at Kaname's rooms before the prince himself did. He had put on the kettle, hoping that if Kaname was indeed where he supposed him to be (with a certain silver haired ex-human, for instance) that he would do the right thing for his political image and return here, instead of following the young soldier to the fight.

There was also another reason that Takuma had wanted to see Kaname as soon as possible. He wasn't sure if Zero was sharing his blood with the pureblood yet, and he wanted to make sure that the cloying scent of mingled blood outside would not drive Kaname crazy with need. He knew that Kaname was much too disciplined to lose control, but he didn't want the man to have that added stress if he was already nervous over his lover's welfare.

"Well, Takuma, what have you heard? How bad is it out there?" Kaname asked, the worry in his voice very clear. He was trying not to show how bad his nerves were affecting him, but he knew that when he was with his best friend he did not need to close steel doors over all signs of his emotions. Takuma already knew that he wasn't the unfeeling robot that purebloods were supposed to be.

"I'll start by getting straight to what's obviously worrying you the most. If Zero was called not long ago, which I assume to be true seeing how late you returned here, then I doubt if he's in any real danger. When I left it seemed that the worst of the assault was already over, and the Knights were just hounding the rest of the stragglers out of the city boarders. The soldier I was speaking to told me that the newer recruits hadn't been called until after the initial counterattack, leaving only the more experienced soldiers to lead the way."

Kaname frowned, but it was obvious that he was at least a little reassured by Takuma's words. "That isn't the usual procedure, is it? I thought that soldiers in training were often sent to break up the raids. Haven't they even been graded on how well they handle these situations?"

"Sometimes," Takuma agreed, "but this was not one of their usual hurried hit and run affairs. It seems that about three or four of their people actually managed to sneak into the city unnoticed. Those same people then decided to stake out the city centre in what is most politely referred to as the 'low blood district'. I was on my way to the palace when I heard the gunshots, and then the screams." Takuma winced at he spoke. It had not been a pretty scene, and he hated to be the one to relate it to Kaname.

"At least thirty people were killed when they opened fire. If they had targeted nobles, their victims would have been able to react faster. But as it was, most of those in the area had reactions only slightly superior to those of a human. The Knights were alerted immediately, but before they could take down the snipers another group of hunters, at least fifty or sixty in total, had entered the city. All of those were armed with anti-vampire weapons, but thankfully not all were equipped with guns. It was total chaos."

Kaname listened, stunned. The hunters had never come in such numbers, and before had only killed a few innocent people who had been unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The highest number of people they had killed in one raid had been five, before this meaningless massacre.

Kaname actually felt as though tears were rising to his eyes, but not yet those of grief. He felt numb towards those whose lives had already been lost, not yet comprehending the loss. But he was able to feel one emotion, stronger than he had felt it since Shizuka's death. Anger, total uncompromising rage seemed to be all that the pureblood could feel.

These terrorists claimed to loath nobles and purebloods, but such vampires were too much of a threat to their tiny group, and so they went after the weaker elements of the city, slaughtering the people who were least to blame. Kaname was seething with the unfairness of it all, especially after his family's many promises to the low blood community that they would be protected by the Kuran House. Even though he didn't want to hear any more, it was his job to be informed, and so he asked Takuma to continue, with dread and anger evident in his voice.

"Well, as you can guess, with so many unexpected hunters showing up, locating the snipers had taken second priority. Most of the citizens were hiding, or had fled, but an awful lot more were caught in the crossfire. By the time I left the Knights were sending out the call for more recruits, but they had already whittled the number of rogue hunters to a manageable amount. I'm afraid that's all I know so far, but by the time Zero would have arrived at the battle, I'm almost certain that the worst was past."

"Thank you for the report, Takuma," Kaname said. The fury was evident in his voice. Takuma realised that it had been a while since he had heard such strong, if angry, passion in the pureblood's voice.

"Listen, Kaname, its been a while since we questioned Zero. I know how much you want to protect him, but he was exhausted and emotionally drained last time we tried to test what he knew. There is a strong possibility that he may know something, something that he overlooked last time, maybe a place name, or something important we can use. After all, they had no idea that he would get loose, so they probably didn't guard their plans from him as well as they should." Takuma looked at Kaname, trying to judge how his suggestion had been received.

The pureblood was running a hand through his hair, and Takuma knew that he was still trying to come to terms with everything he had just been told. He did hope that Kaname would heed the wisdom in his words, however, and not immediately disagree for the sake of keeping his lover happy.

"You're right, Takuma," Kaname finally said, rising from his chair. He was practically steaming with anger. Those who died had been relying on the Kuran House for protection. The fact that he had left the fighting to his soldiers, and even to his lover, only added to his rage, and his strong feelings of responsibility and guilt.

"Now more than ever we need to take those bastards down. They've gotten much too bold recently. Who knows how high tonight's death toll will reach? And I can't ignore the attempt on my own life, either. That required a lot of skill. But the thing that jumps to my attention is how these new, more powerful and violent attacks have only begun _after_ Zero got here," Kaname said, voice still shaking.

"Yes, that had occurred to me too," Takuma answered, glad that his advice had been so readily accepted. "It's obvious that they believe he knows something important."

The noble hated the guilt he knew his friend was feeling, knew that he had only acted as he was expected to. If Kaname had ridden into the fray with his soldiers it would have been seen as a sign that the Kuran Knights were too weak to fight alone. Kaname did not need any more rumours about the deteriorating strength of the Kuran House.

It was also not a good idea to draw any more attention to Kaname's obvious affection for the young ex-human. Takuma did not entirely trust him, but he no longer believed that Zero meant any harm towards the pureblood.

Kaname's anger was beginning to give way to worry once again, but that did not mean he had given up on his thoughts of revenge. It was simply that he could dwell on those emotions later, but until he had Zero before him, safe and sound, there was no way he could quell his nerves. The guilt was still flowing through him, and he did not think he could stand to find out that his lover had been wounded (or worse) because of him.

All they could do now was wait for the young man in question to return.

000000000000000000000000000000000

Over four hours had passed without any word, and Kaname was almost crazy with anxiety. Zero did not live too far away from his own chambers; he actually shared the same wing as the pureblood. He had opened his senses to the young ex-human's essence, but so far he hadn't felt anything. If the fighting had really progressed as far as Takuma had told him, then it shouldn't have taken Zero this long to return, even allowing the time he needed to return his horse to the stables, remove her armour and his own, and other such tasks.

Kaname stirred a cube of sugar in his tea, watching it dissolve without really seeing it at all. He knew that there had been a lot to do, even if Zero had not been part of the initial fight. He was almost certainly overreacting. If Zero had arrived on the scene too late to get seriously involved in the conflict then it was likely he would be roped into the clean-up, getting the bodies off the streets and trying to get rid of the more offensive stains. If this was indeed the case, then Kaname was relieved that he had given the younger man his blood before he left.

Not long ago such jobs were left to level 'D vampires who were so deeply wrapped in a noble or pureblood's spell that they were entirely oblivious to their own hunger. Since Kaname had changed such laws, however, the job was more of a problem. Free ex-humans were more likely to lose their minds to bloodlust, and nobles were unwilling to do such work. Thankfully, the Blood Source program was proving to be a huge success. Kaname couldn't take much pride in this achievement right now, though, after so many of the low bloods under his rule had been ruthlessly killed.

A deep unease was sinking its claws deeper into him with every passing minute. It didn't matter that his thoughts on the tasks his lover might be engaged in were entirely plausible, he just couldn't help feeling certain that something was wrong. Perhaps it was because he had never expected to find love, especially not a love as strong as he had found for the sexy, silver haired ex-human. He did not feel he deserved Zero, and he felt irrationally that because of that, the other vampire would be stolen away from him.

It was only now, when his lover was in danger, that he realised he had such feelings. The love he felt for Zero was so overwhelming that it almost took his breath away, but yet since they had been together Kaname had felt nothing but fear. He had always thought that falling in love with someone who loved you back would be heaven. But because of Kaname's position and Zero's occupation, the one he loved was constantly in danger, and it had left him a little on edge all the time. He realised now that he loved Zero so much the thought of losing him was almost tearing him apart.

It didn't help that he truly didn't feel he deserved his lover. Zero was so brave, so strong, had even bounced back from his life of slavery, but Kaname did all his work through other people, even letting them do his fighting for him. He knew that if he had faced Zero's life he would have broken long ago, but Zero had refused to give up. He truly admired him.

Kaname added a splash of milk to his teacup, swirling the deep brown of the tea with the white of the milk, trying to turn his mind from the tremendous love he had somehow managed to find. This was his fourth cup since returning to his room and finding Takuma already there. Kaname had always found drinking tea to be calming, despite the caffeine, but tonight his tonic didn't seem to be working. His mind would continually slide back to Zero, filling him with love and panic once more.

Takuma had kept his friend company for quite a while, occasionally trying to persuade Kaname that everything would be fine. After spending a long time in the awkward silence of Kaname's room, he had eventually left to get an update on the battle, promising to look into Zero's fate in particular.

That had been over half an hour ago, and Kaname had been waiting for his return in miserable solitude. He took a deep sip of his tea, savouring its warmth and trying to find comfort from it.

Suddenly, he felt another aura near by. He did not usually allow himself to be so open to auras, or it would drive him crazy, but he had opened his senses a lot tonight in the hope of catching Zero when he returned. The aura he felt approaching was not that of Zero, but was in fact Takuma's. Kaname felt his chest and stomach tighten painfully with nerves in anticipation of the news he would hear. Surely it couldn't be any worse than the other news he had gotten tonight?

Takuma knocked politely on the door, then entered. Kaname's heart sank when he caught sight of Takuma's expression. The noble was pale, and didn't seem to be looking forward to sharing his news.

"Kaname, Zero has been injured," Takuma began, adding hurriedly, "he is expected to fully recover, though. He's in the infirmary, being seen to by very skilled hospital staff."

Kaname's heart had almost stopped, but after hearing Zero would recover he had felt almost light headed with relief. He found his way back to the armchair he had been seated in earlier, filled with guilt that Zero had been injured, worry for his recover, and relief that he was not going to be permanently disabled. When he had first seen Takuma's expression he had been almost certain that Zero had… well, perhaps it was best not to dwell on those thoughts.

"What happened to him? I take it he didn't escape the fighting after all?"

Takuma nervously seated himself across from the pureblood once more. "He was shot. The bullet went right through his shoulder. I doubt any other ex-human would have survived at all, and we're going to have to work hard to quell the rumours that he might have been saved by drinking the blood of a noble, or someone stronger."

The news that Zero had been shot had hit Kaname hard, and he was once again almost dizzy with relief that in his earlier passion he had persuaded Zero to drink from him.

"It seems that Zero _did _avoid the main fight, but ran directly into the last remaining sniper. The others had already been flushed from their hiding places and killed."

Takuma was still speaking hesitantly, and Kaname was once more filled with dread. What news was the noble loath to tell him?

"Kaname, I'm afraid there are more rumours floating around than the boy's blood source… Some of the soldiers aren't sure of him. They agree he didn't harm any other vampires, but they didn't like how he spoke with the sniper who shot him. They think that he was working for the hunters all along," Takuma sounded tired and almost as upset as his friend looked.

"What the hell are they calling him a traitor for?!" Kaname asked, annoyed and exasperated. "You just said that he didn't harm anyone!"

"Yes… but one of our soldiers overheard him speaking with a hunter. That hunter told him that he 'did not deserve the Kiryu name'. We know that the prominent hunter family had a young son when Shizuka destroyed them, and, well, Zero just happens to be the right age to fit that role. It would also explain how quickly he recovered after 'escaping' the hunter camp. Kaname, I believe that he really _was_ sent here as a weapon. Maybe his job is even to, well, assassinate you."

This time the tears did over spill Kaname's eyes, tears of anger, and fear that Takuma was right. "That's the most ridiculous thing you've ever said, Takuma," he answered bitterly. "I can't believe someone I trust as deeply as you would go around making such stupid accusations without the slightest shred of proof!"

"Kaname!" Takuma began, but got no further.

"No! The night I talked to him in the jail cell, the night before the trial, he came clean to me about everything. This talk is just ridiculous," Kaname said, wiping his tears away angrily.

"I _do _have proof, Kaname," Takuma stated, feeling terrible for his friend. He knew that Zero was the first person that Kaname had every truly loved, knew that the pureblood had given his heart and soul to the ex-human already. But he also knew that Kaname's lover had been playing a dangerous game with him the whole time, and he needed to let his friend know that.

"Fine then," Kaname answered, anger still very much dominant in his voice, "what evidence do you have, what proof is going to show me that Zero was sent to _assassinate_ me?"

"First," Takuma began, ignoring the pureblood's sarcasm, "the term he used to address the man who shot him was 'Master' Yagari. It sounded like the hunter was his tutor, or his mentor. But that isn't the only thing, or I would admit that the evidence was too weak to be sure. I already told you about the Kiryu coincidence, so I took the liberty of asking Aido to test his blood. Aido told me that, without a doubt, Zero has both vampire _and _hunter blood," Takuma finished. He could see that Kaname was going to try and deny things again, to try and derail the hurt and betrayal he was feeling, but he couldn't let that happen.

"Don't you see, Kaname? Zero makes the perfect weapon, if he truly is the child the Kiryus supposedly lost all those years ago. He is of one of the strongest hunter bloodlines in the world, which I'm sure helped him suppress his vampire nature for so long, _and_ he had been turned, meaning he could easily become a citizen of Nine-Orchids."

"Aido might be able to tell he has hunter blood, but that doesn't prove he is the son of the Kiryu family," Kaname answered, though his voice sounded hollow and defeated.

Zero wouldn't betray him. He knew that he could trust Kaname, had even told the pureblood that he loved him. There was absolutely no way that everything they had shared was a lie. It wasn't possible. Just hours ago and he and Zero had been making love, and now Takuma was trying to tell him that was just a ploy to get close to him?

But deep down Kaname could not entirely deny Takuma's words. Why had Zero hidden his hunter blood from the people at Nine-Orchids, from _him?_ Unless he had wanted it to come as a surprise, the kind of surprise that ended with Kaname's death…

When Kaname thought of Takuma's argument, he felt like everything he believed about Zero was slipping away.

How the hell had a _pureblood_ been so fucking _stupid_. Now that Takuma had laid things out the way he had things seemed so _obvious_. The hunter knife, the fact that Zero had suppressed his instincts for so long, the fact that he had been so healthy when he reached Nine-Orchids despite his 'slavery'…

The tears tracking down Kaname's face seemed to be scalding hot. He got out of his chair, turning away from his childhood friend. He had been so badly betrayed, made a total fool of, and yet in his heart he was still trying to figure out excuses for Zero, to prove his innocence. He just couldn't seem to believe that Zero had been playing with him, that the other vampire had in fact never loved him at all…

What kind of blind fool was he? The man he loved had been hiding much worse than infidelity from him, and here he was trying to rationalise it. Kaname felt ashamed and utterly humiliated. It didn't help that all these horrible secrets were coming to light with his best friend present. It just made the blade cut even deeper.

"Even if he is a Kiryu, even if he _was_ sent here to hurt me, isn't it possible that he changed his loyalties along the way? I mean, we have spent a lot of time alone together, and he never tried anything. He even _saved_ me, Takuma. If he was working for the hunters, then he would have left me to die by that hunter dart."

"Oh, Kaname," Takuma began, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "I really don't want to be the one who breaks your heart like this, but don't you think he could have been luring you into a false sense of security? A pureblood has reflexes that dwarf the average hunter's. He needed to completely lower your guard, or an assassination attempt would certainly fail.

"The attempt on your life with the dart… looking back, I doubt that the toxins or charm would have killed you. Sure, they affected you badly, but you're a _pureblood_, Kaname. There aren't any hunters left strong enough to kill you with such a device. But don't you think that was just too convenient? I mean, Zero saving your life? I can't think of a better way to gain someone's trust. The dart was just a part of his plan to get past your defences, it was never meant to kill you."

"I just can't believe that I could be so fucking stupid, Takuma, and that you of all people had to see," Kaname wiped the last of his tears away with a hard swipe of his fist, willing no more to fall. "Was I really so desperate for someone to love me that I'd believe anything?"

"Kaname…" Takuma said, hating himself for bringing so much grief to his friend. But he loved Kaname like a brother, and he _had_ to let him know that his life was in danger. He was even willing to lose the pureblood's friendship, if it meant keeping him safe.

"Where is he now?" Kaname asked, voice hoarse. "Is he in the infirmary? Because I need to see him right now."

"He's still recovering from his wounds, but he's not in any of the main wards. I asked to have him moved to a private room so Aido could perform the blood test."

"Good. I want to see him on his own," Kaname answered, trying to sound composed. Then he was striding across the room, leaving Takuma behind.

0000000000

The first thing Zero's hazy mind became aware of was the deep thread of bloodlust beginning to wind its way through his system. He tried to sit up, but the pain in his shoulder was utterly unbearable. Puzzled, Zero was still uncertain of where he was and why he was hurting so badly. His silver eyes fluttered open, trying to search out clues of his whereabouts. All he could see from where he was lying was a white, featureless ceiling, which didn't tell him much.

With a deep groan, and a lot of effort, he managed to heave his aching body into a sitting position, and the pain seemed to double his hunger. With another monumental effort, he tried to dispel the crimson he knew would be lacing its way through his eyes. Then he forced his mind to back to its original task, and tried once again to discover where he was.

All his new vantage point revealed was that he was in a narrow bed, in a room every bit as featureless as the ceiling. He had never been in one before, but with the amount of pain he was in, and the clinical whiteness of the room, Zero was pretty certain that he was in a hospital room.

Gingerly, he moved his right hand over to his left shoulder, and discovered a stiff, gauze wrapped dressing. It seemed that when he pushed himself up that he had started the wound bleeding again; a slow scarlet patch was beginning to blossom against the whiteness of the bandage.

All of a sudden, as he peered groggily at his injury, the events of the evening came flooding back into his mind. He wished that he had the ability to stop the flow of unpleasant memories, but the depressing procession wouldn't stop. Zero groaned once more, feeling his chest hitch in confused emotion.

During his ride to the small battle, Zero had been certain of his loyalties to Kaname, but looking back he was uncertain if his mind had been clouded in the aftermath of their love making.

Now, though, all of his earlier good feelings were entirely gone. It hurt him deeply to consider the words that Yagari and his father's friend had flung at him. Was he truly a traitor? Is that what his parents would think?

But really, Zero realised with dull surprise, he should have realised that earlier. He _was _a traitor; he had started off on one side of the battle, and now he was fighting for the opposite side. What other term could he use to describe himself? Zero leaned back against the mound of pillows, shame clouding his mind. The term made him feel dirty, but he could not turn back now, not unless he wanted to be a traitor to _both_ sides.

This whole situation was a mess. He had never wanted to turn his back on either side, but it had been impossible to try and align himself with both.

_Besides_, Zero thought, _I can never, _ever_ throw my lot in with people who would slaughter so many innocents in such a cowardly attack!_

Zero still did not know all the details surrounding the attack, but he knew the hunters well enough to know that their tactics were always pathetic and spineless. They always targeted the weak, and never allowed their victims any chance to fight back.

The image of all the broken bodies he had found in the city centre would not leave his mind. The unfairness of it made him feel livid. The vampires who had been killed had been blameless, had only been going about their daily tasks when they had been heartlessly cut down.

Zero still felt like total shit, and the guilt he felt for betraying those who had raised him would probably never entirely leave him. But seeing what he had, the cruel, merciless tactics the hunters employed, he knew that he had aligned himself with the right people.

Kaname's methods were peaceful, his goals admirable, and always selfless. He truly _was _trying to make the world a better place, whereas the hunters' methods were only fuelled by hatred.

It was only now, after these thoughts that Zero realised that, by his actions, he really _had_ been playing both sides. If he really trusted the pureblood, and he _did_, then it was time to come clean about _everything_.

This thought filled Zero with both nerves and excitement. He was terrified that his deceit would cost him his relationship with Kaname, but at the same time, if Kaname accepted his heartfelt apology, then Zero could finally live his life free of the lies that had shackled him for so long. It would be so amazing, to have such a perfect relationship, without _any_ blemishes. It would be heaven on earth.

But if Kaname rejected him, then his life would truly be over. Kaname was the only thing he had. Even his friendship with Hitomi had been strained, ever since she had told Zero about her past with Kaname. The only time Zero had felt that he had truly belonged was the time he had spent with the pureblood. The hunters hated his vampire blood, the higher blood vampires still disliked his human blood, but Kaname had _never_ paid attention to any of that. He had seen past blood status, and been one of the first people to ever see _Zero_, just the person he was on the inside.

Losing Kaname would break his heart, but after everything that the pureblood had done for him, the very least that he deserved was the truth.

Figuring out what he wanted to do had occupied his mind so much that he had forgotten his pain and bloodlust. But now both were back with a vengeance. He could sense the object of his bloodlust approaching, and he felt almost giddy.

This was it. The room he was in was private, and he _had _to tell Kaname everything now, before he lost his nerve. He felt himself shaking, wondering if he would finally find the perfect life with his lover, or lose him forever.

But as the pureblood drew nearer to his room, Zero realised that something was very wrong. He could feel Kaname's aura preceding him, and it was ice cold, with a venomous trace of black laced despair. What the hell had happened to him? Zero was filled with dread. Had the battle gotten worse after he had blacked out? It had seemed like the worst was already over…

Kaname opened the door to Zero's room gently, but as he walked closer to Zero's bed his anger became impossible to miss.

Zero felt a deep jolt of alarm when his eyes meet Kaname's. The pureblood's gorgeous, expressive scarlet eyes were filled with so many painful emotions. Zero wanted to hold him, to take his mind off of what was worrying him. But now that they were so close, Zero could see that the pureblood was absolutely furious, and that his anger was directed towards him.

"K-Kaname… What's wrong?" Zero asked. His heart felt frozen with fear. Just minutes before he had been desperate to see his lover, and to finally get everything off of his chest. But Kaname was acting like he actually _hated_ him.

"I should ask you the same thing, Zero," Kaname answered, his voice full of emotion. "Please tell me that all I've heard has been a mistake, that your name really _is _Zero Matsuda, not Kiryu. That… that everything we shared was true."

Zero felt his eyes widen in guilty horror. His stomach felt like it had been laced with ice, and he felt tears begin to pierce his eyes. How much had the pureblood learned? Who had told him?

He had _wanted_ to tell Kaname everything, in his own words, but by the time he had gained the courage to tell his story, give his reasons, his chance had already been snatched from him. Was this his punishment for deceiving the man he loved for so long?

"Listen, Kaname, I don't know how much you know, but _please_, just give me a chance to tell you everything. I might have been hiding things from you, but I _do _love you. Please, just give me a chance!" Zero pleaded. He could feel the tears streaming from his eyes, but he barely even registered their existence. All that mattered was Kaname, and making sure that he didn't lose him. He didn't think he could live if that happened.

"I can't believe that you did this to me," Kaname whispered, running his hands through his ebony hair. "Just tell me one thing; were you sent here to kill me?"

Zero couldn't answer him. He didn't know what to say, was almost paralysed by his own guilt, and his fear that he was losing Kaname forever.

His silence was all that Kaname needed to confirm his suspicions.

"I should never have stopped your execution," Kaname said, voice choked with tears. "You _are_ guilty of treason."

"Kaname, I'm sorry! I'm so, _so_ sorry! Please, give me a chance to explain," Zero sobbed.

"You're _sorry_?" Kaname said, voice incredulous. "How have you got the nerve to say that to me now? I never want to see your lying face again."

The pureblood struck Zero so hard that his lip split, blood trickling down his chin and onto the clean linen of the hospital pillow.

Zero barely felt it. As he heard Kaname slam the door behind him, he felt nothing but numb horror. Kaname hated him, there was nobody he could trust, no one he could turn to. He had lost everything.

0000000000000000000000000000000


End file.
